Eight people, including an MP, have been fined after enforcers were deployed to Parliament to monitor "smoking hotspots."

The enforcement action comes after Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad’s announcement that the Parliament building was now a smoke-free zone.

However, the Health Ministry's tobacco control unit chief Ariana Hasan declined to reveal the name of the parliamentarian who was fined.

"We are monitoring the whole Parliament building. We deployed some 23 to 25 enforcers," she told journalists at the Parliament building today.

Ariana said the enforcers will remain for the entire length of the current Parliament sitting. The Dewan Rakyat sitting will conclude on Nov 29 while the Dewan Negara sitting will end on Dec 20.

She said the eight fines were issued yesterday under the Control of Tobacco Product Regulations 2004.

Under the regulations, smoking in a prohibited area could result in a penalty of up to RM500.

Failing to settle the fine could result in an additional RM10,000 fine or two months’ imprisonment, or both.

Yesterday, Dzulkefly said smokers who want to light up should do so outside of the Parliament building.

He had ordered all smoking rooms to be closed, citing complaints that the smell had escaped the rooms and affected people nearby.

Deputy Health Minister Dr Lee Boon Chye had previously also announced a plan to declare all restaurants as no-smoking zones effective next year.