Sunbed use to be restricted to over-18s

NEW LAWS on sunbed use will not include a total ban on sunbeds, despite Minister for Health Mary Harney’s statement last week that such a ban was “a no-brainer”. A Department of Health spokesman said the Minister’s first priority was to proceed with legislation restricting the use of sunbeds to those aged 18 years and over.

Three years ago, the Minister said she was going to ban the use of sunbeds by minors, but progress has been very slow and drafting of that legislation has not even begun yet.

The spokesman said drafting of legislation would be undertaken by the Attorney General’s office following Government approval of a specific set of proposals.

The proposals have been informed by last year’s public consultation on the issue. “These proposals are in the process of being completed,” the spokesman said.

The proposals are expected to ban sunbeds for the under-18s, ban unsupervised services and require the placing of warning signs on sunbeds, and in salons.

Sunbed operators may be required to register with the HSE and the proposals could include the introduction of inspections, with penalties for non-compliance.

They will also allow exemptions in respect of the use of sunbeds for medical use, for certain skin conditions, for example.

Asked if Ms Harney’s call for a total ban on sunbeds would force Department of Health officials to go back to the drawing board with these proposals, the spokesman said Ms Harney’s clear preference would be to end the use of sunbeds for everyone, but her first priority was to proceed with legislation banning sunbeds for under-18-year-olds. He said she had asked the department to investigate if a total ban was possible.

Last month, sunbeds were reclassified as a group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. This higher risk categorisation places sunbed use on a par with cigarette smoking.

Fine Gael’s Alan Shatter has pointed out that, 10 years ago, he asked the then Minister for Health, Brian Cowen, to ban sunbeds. In his written reply, Mr Cowen said sunbeds should not be used by children under 18, but he had no plans to introduce legislation banning their use.

Mr Shatter said that if Mr Cowen had introduced legislation banning children from using sunbeds at that time, it would have saved many from the substantial risks to which they had been exposed.