Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I intend to move amendments that will be in line with Deputy Ó Caoláin's amendments based on those circulated by the Irish Cancer Society.

We all welcome the legislation. It has received universal approval and acceptance, so I hope it will be embraced in terms of the message it sends out.

I assume members will have seen the amendments suggested by the Irish Cancer Society. I am not sure whether they have been circulated to everyone but I imagine that they were. My query is about skin types 1 and 2. We are banning sunbed usage for under 18s and it is a given that everyone will comply. There could be legal obligations with regard to identifying people based on a skin type to determine whether he or she can use a sunbed, which I accept. We will table amendments with the sole purpose of trying to tease out some way of addressing the matter through strong advertising and placing an obligation on people to inform users of sunbeds that if they have skin type 1 or 2 they are more likely and have a greater chance of contracting skin cancers such as melanoma. I am not sure whether we can do this, but I understand the difficulties the Minister is faced with. The amendments still merit tabling, if only to see if we can come up with an imaginative way to raise awareness of the dangers posed to individuals with skin types 1 and 2 among the broader public. Also, the operators of sunbed premises should have a responsibility placed on them to inform each and every person who enters their premises of the risks involved. I refer to the risks that are more prevalent in people with skin types 1 and 2 as identified under the Fitzpatrick skin type classification. That is my purpose. We live in a world with constraints, and people have civil liberties, rights and entitlements. Equally, there is an obligation on the Minister, his Department, the HSE and everybody concerned to minimise the risks to individuals. We should at least have an education programme. There should be an obligation on people to inform others of the risks associated with using sunbeds.

When it comes to cigarettes, we do not expect every shopkeeper to tell the purchaser that cigarettes are bad for him or her. Packets carry warnings that provide people with enough information that cigarettes are bad. Anybody who buys cigarettes now but is not aware that they are bad for one's health has not been living in the same environment as the members and I for the past number of years.

With regards to sun damage, an awful lot of people go on holidays every year. Advertising campaigns have advised people to use sun cream, etc. with a high factor to protect them from the damaging effects of the sun. However, people still insist on travelling to Spain, togging off and getting sunburnt in the hope of enhancing their tans. Therefore, we must find clever ways to target groups of people. The cohort of people that we wish to speak to may not be the kind who listen to us in general. They are younger, full of the joys of life and confident, yet year in, year out one sees them on holidays pasting themselves with sun enhancers instead of sun protection.

What if we are restricted in warning people due to a lack of legislation that targets groups with certain skin types? I hope the Minister will introduce robust regulation to oblige users and suppliers to address the issue.