The liberal coalition party VVD has come out against the reinstatement of the smoking ban for small cafes.

Small cafes and bars run by their owners were exempted from the 2008 smoking ban in September 2010 because they have no staff. The ban was introduced to protect workers rather than public health in general.

However, junior health minister Martin van Rijn plans to reinstate the total smoking ban across the hospitality industry by closing loopholes in the original law.

Non-existent

Now VVD MP Arno Rutte has told website nu.nl the adjustments to the law are a solution for a non-existent problem.

Rutte said the enforcement of the ban in the hospitality sector has improved since owner-run cafes were made exempt. The VVD thinks policing the total ban will adversely affect the enforcement of the raised age limit on buying tobacco products, which went up to 18 on January 1.

Parliament will debate the adjusted tobacco law on Wednesday.