Stub it out

ANYONE who promised, in a boozy fug of new-year righteousness, to give up smoking in 2007 will have more than just their friends to egg them on—the government is keen to help too. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, which advises the National Health Service, has recommended time off for workers to help them quit, and says that new anti-addiction drugs should be available on the NHS. On New Year's Day the government said it would raise the legal age for buying cigarettes from 16 to 18 in October. The biggest change is the imminent ban on smoking in public places, such as pubs and restaurants. A similar prohibition has existed in Scotland since 2006, and Northern Ireland, Wales and England will all follow suit this year. Come July, Britain's public indoor spaces will be a smoke-free zone.