Page 91 - TAIWAN TOBACCO CONTROL ANNUAL REPORT 2019

Inspection and Penalties for the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act The "Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act - Inspection and Penalty Reporting and Case Management Information System" was established in January 2004 in order to improve the efficiency of Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act inspections, ensure effective use of data, and provide prompt notification for central and local health authorities on the status of the Act's enforcement for the purpose of formulating response strategies. System updates were completed and released for operations on May 16, 2009 to accommodate the enactment of revised provisions of the Act. The updated system provided instant notification of inspection results, violations, and penalties. Users were also able to inspect the status of fine payments, smoking cessation education, and monitor the enforcement and penalties issued to each case. To further simplify, expedite, and digitalize inspection processes, a portable hand-held on-site inspection system was designed in August 24th 2012, providing 10-inch tablet computers with GPS that could be used to plan a route to the inspection site. This system was used to conduct 1,400 inspections in 2012, followed by 4,388 inspections in 2013, 2,606 inspections in 2014 , 1,335 inspections in 2015 ,467 inspections in 2016 ,372 nspections in 2017 and 12 nspections in 2018, The system also allows instantaneous registration of case information while combining camera and signature functions on the tablet. Data would be transmitted electronically to the system to reduce paperwork and shorten processing time, thereby improving work efficiency. Counties and cities could also use the system for data exchange and case transfers, reducing the amount of paperwork while improving the promptness of case handling. In 2018, a total of 686,746 site inspections with 4,378,155 assessment items were carried out throughout the country. A total of 7,469 citations were issued. Case comparisons showed that the top 3 violations were (1) smoking with 3,771 cases (46.4%), (2) under-aged smoking by minors under 18 years of age with 2,294 cases (30.7%), and (3) failure to display no smoking signs and providing smoking-related objects in non-smoking areas with 645 cases (4.5%) (Tables 2-2, 2-3, and 2-4). The area with the highest number of fines was Tainan City followed by Kaohsiung City, while the most penalties for underage smoking were imposed in Taichung City followed by Taipei City. Penalties for smoking in non-smoking areas were most prevalent in Kaohsiung City followed by New Taipei City. The most cases of failure to display no smoking signs in entrance zones of non-smoking areas and providing smoking-related objects occurred in Hualien County followed by Taoyuan City. Further analysis indicates that for the violator penalized in 2018, the top three places for smokers under age of 18 are places not listed as non-smoking areas, schools below the level of senior high schools (inclusive) and others (Table 2-5). The top three places where violators above the age of 18 penalized at the non-smoking areas are the schools under the level of senior high schools (inclusive), internet cafes, and electronic game arcades. To implement the new regulations of the "Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act", the health bureaus of all counties and cities in the nation are committed to its promotion and related law enforcement work. Nevertheless, there are still some people and public figures challenging the authorities and smoke in the railway cars, airplanes or internet cafes, or event playing videos of providing tobaccos to children on websites. Such actions have not only violated the regulations on prohibition of smoking at non-smoking areas specified in the "Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act" and the regulation on the prohibition of supply of tobacco to those under the age of 18 specified in"The Protection of Children and Youths Welfare and Rights Act", for any actions involving the abuse of 89 Reducing the Supply of Tobacco