The drain on the nation's finances caused by avoidable illnesses is unsustainable and I'm delighted that the Government has realised it's time to act.

But, unfortunately, the smoking ban proposals as they stand will do nothing to reduce the North-South health divide - in fact they will probably widen it.

It is a sad fact that the life expectancy of children born in the North-East is the lowest in England. It's down to a number of factors but poor diet, excess alcohol and smoking are major contributors.

Smoking is a particular problem for this area, so banning it in licensed premises is something I welcome - but I'm disappointed that pubs that don't sell food have been exempted.

As a result, less than half the licensed premises in some North-East towns will be affected by the ban, whereas, in the South, the majority already offer meals and will therefore have to stub out smoking.

The effect will be that regulars of pubs that allow smoking will suffer in other ways. They will drink more than when having a meal and, when they do get peckish, will no doubt turn to the crisps, nuts and chocolate bars that smoking pubs sell.

Scotland is set to follow the Irish example by banning smoking completely, so I wonder if some pubs this side of the border might soon be advertising "Last chance for a fag and a pint".

Could the Bigg Market in Newcastle become a chance for coach parties from the South to enjoy stag nights with cigarettes?

I am aware of one award-winning pub that banned smoking to protect the health of its staff. Sadly, the result was that customers who smoked simply went elsewhere. Within weeks the pub had to reverse its ban in order to avoid going bust.

My concern is that a partial ban won't work because smokers will simply take their drinking custom - and possibly their non-smoking partners - elsewhere and in the North-East there will be more alternatives to choose from than in the South.

I'm a teetotaller, so rarely visit pubs and I have to say that one of the reasons is I am put off by heavy plumes of cigarette smoke. Apart from the health aspect, I don't see why non-smokers should have clothes ruined by the stench of smoke.

I visited Dublin earlier this year where a total smoking ban is in force and I was greatly impressed. There was a freshness about the place, the pubs were clean and a pleasure to visit. They were also packed.

I also noticed groups of people stepping outside to have a fag. This rather counters the argument by Health Secretary John Reid that a total ban will lead to people simply staying at home and smoking - to the detriment of other family members.

Improving the nation's health has to be seen as a long term strategy and I suspect that, gradually, the numbers huddled outside pubs puffing on a fag will decline.

We need to take a leaf out of the Irish book where a politician was sacked for refusing to stub out in the Parliament bar.

This is the sort of clear, unequivocal message we need to send out. And that message should be focussed in the environments where it can be most effective - instead we've provided the worst smoking dens with a loophole to carry on as normal.