Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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I move amendment No. 6:

In page 10, line 15, to delete “safe” and substitute “authorised”.

I will speak on both amendments together as the same argument applies in each case. In amendments Nos. 6 and 7 I seek to change the reference to the word "safe". Under the section heading of "Training", section 14(1)(a) refers to "training leading to a qualification in the safe use of sunbeds". Section 14(3) goes on to provide that "Prescribed training may include training on ... the safe use and operation of sunbeds". It strikes me that through the employment of the word "safe" in association with the words "use of sunbeds", one is giving out a bad message. While members understand what is involved, many will not and there are others who are unscrupulous and who will use the referencing to aid and abet their own commercial interest, irrespective of the risk to those who will use the service provided. I believe the use of the phrase "safe use of sunbeds", against everything I already have said and, with respect, what the Minister has stated here this evening, is a contradiction. It simply does not rest with me.

This legislation does not bestow the word "safe" in terms of the use of sunbeds, rather it bestows authorisation in that respect over and above a particular age limit and within specified, confined areas of business practice. We should change the word "safe" for all the reasons I suggested and employ the word "authorised". That is the real intent of the legislation. The purpose and intent of the legislation the Minister has brought forward, which I support fully, is weakened by employing the use of the word "safe" in this regard. There is not a qualification in the safe use of sunbeds; there is a qualification certainly in the authorised use of sunbeds, FTB, for the time being until wiser days present.

I hope the Minister will concur with my reasoning in this regard and accept the amendments that are intended only to ensure that the Bill has no weakness that others could exploit and that we hold to a language in regard to sunbeds that will allow us all come back at this at some point in time in the future. It will be more difficult for us to wrestle with this issue following our having employed references such as "safe use". That immediately places a further obstacle to the arguments we can consider on another day. My appeal to the Minister is to accept what I hope are common-sense reasons behind changing the use of the word "safe" in regard to both of these subsections of section 14 and accepting the word "authorised", which I believe is more appropriate.