THE Scottish Government is fond of setting a target or two. One of its most ambitious is to achieve a “smoke-free” Scotland by 2034.

Figures released yesterday as part of the Scottish Household Survey for 2014 suggest that significant progress is being made. The number of Scots who smoke has fallen to one in five adults, a drop of three per cent on the previous three years and the sharpest decline since 1999.

There has also, of course, been a significant health dividend for the nation. Apart from the obvious reduction in smoking-related illnesses, recent legislation has had the side-effect of providing gratuitous on-the-job memory training for shop assistants striving to remember where individual brands have been placed.

And the ban on smoking in public places has had a positive impact on our day-to-day lives. Few people lament the passing of the days when the atmosphere in our smoke-filled pubs was as eye-watering as the prices. Nor do we miss the pretence of having smoking and non-smoking tables in restaurants, where the clouds of nicotine, tar and carbon monoxide were expected to respect strategically placed signs. For many of us, our clothes are decidedly less whiffy these days.

All in all, things are looking up. Scotland is a better place, without doubts.