"This is great news for a section of Northern Ireland's workforce, but for a large proportion of the remainder, there is still no respite from breathing in deadly tobacco smoke, " he said.

BBC: NEWS | UK | Northern Ireland | Doctors call for NI smoking ban

Since late 1998 it has sold over 70% of these loans, and the debt of a single giant borrower, Daewoo, which was rescued in 2000, accounts for a large proportion of the remainder.

ECONOMIST: Lessons in dealing with duff loans

The museum collection--featuring bronzes, pottery, porcelain, paintings and calligraphy--is so vast that only a small proportion can be displayed at one time, while the remainder is stored in vaults within the hills behind the museum.

CNN: ASIANOW - TIME Asia | Travel Watch

According to the charity, a large proportion of treatment centres are based in London and the south east with the remainder scattered around the country.

BBC: Northerners 'are heaviest drinkers'