KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 16 — A blanket ban against smoking, electronic cigarettes and vaping in Parliament and its grounds is now in force.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Dzulkefly Ahmad said his ministry has issued eight offence notices since the ban came into effective yesterday.

He added that one of the offenders was an MP, but did not disclose the lawmaker’s identity.

"The open air enclosure within the building previously used as a smoking zone has also been closed today, where enforcement officers from the ministry had carried out the closure,” he announced today.

The rule also applied to eateries within the Parliament building — both air conditioned and open air — and extends to vape and e-cigarettes as well.

Dzulkefly, when asked to comment on restaurant operators looking to run businesses catered exclusively to smokers, said such ideas had not been mooted yet by the ministry.

"We will look into this. I must not commit to anything.

"Certainly, others in the restaurant, customers and workers, who are non-smokers, will be exposed and suffer from passive smoking,” he said.

Dzulkefly added any decision made by the ministry on such suggestions would still peg back to their basic and initial principle to not allow smoking in public eateries.

"If we allow it, we are allowing again the space for passive smoking to take place.

"Whatever decision we make will be based on our basic principle to avoid cigarettes in public eateries,” he said.