Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

It is something of a paradox that we are talking about sunbeds and the need to have a suntan given the weather we are having. In another way, however, that perhaps explains people's need to have a year-round tanned complexion or a tan for special occasions.

Tanning is a business, and a very lucrative one, whether it is in regard to the sunbeds we are discussing, the various lotions that have come on the market or the need to go on holidays in sunny climates for that special occasion. It is interesting that at different stages in our history, we would not be having this debate because there were times when having a chalky white complexion was the look to have, and a ruddy or tanned complexion was considered to be for the labouring classes only. Times have changed.

This Bill has been underway for some time now and it is a good preventative measure with regard to cancer. Ba mhaith liom fáilte a chur roimh an mBille seo. Is mian liom tacaíocht a thabhairt don Bhille. I support what is in the Bill but I also want to acknowledge what the Irish Cancer Society has been saying, particularly its concerns that the Bill does not go far enough. At present, however, there is no regulation of sunbeds in Ireland, so the Bill is certainly progress on that front.

I want to acknowledge what the Bill will do. It ensures anyone under 18 cannot use a sunbed on official premises and prohibits the use of sunbeds on unsupervised premises. The sunbed operators will have to make users fully aware of the risks and warning signs must be in place in all sunbed operation establishments. Nonetheless, how the ban on the use of sunbeds on unsupervised premises will be enforced and monitored is highly problematic.

With regard to the risk warnings for those over 18 years of age, one of the points made by the Irish Cancer Society is that the Bill does not prohibit people with type 1 and type 2 skin, the fairer skin types, from using sunbeds, although such people cannot use them in Australia. As pointed out by the Irish Cancer Society, in Australia every client has to have a skin type assessment before using a solarium. Reference was made to the Fitzpatrick scale, which categorises the various skin types. It seems to be a straightforward skin type assessment, and I do not know where there could be a problem in applying it here.

With regard to warnings, we know that warning people of the risks associated with smoking is not having a major impact. Likewise, warning people of the risks associated with misuse and abuse of alcohol is not having a major impact. I sometimes wonder if it is making any impact when we see the amount of money that goes on the issues relating to the misuse of alcohol, whether that has to do with health or crime. We warn people about the dangers of getting involved with heroin, cocaine, snow blow and benzos, but they are still using them. We warn people about the sugar content in fizzy drinks but what we see are increasingly high levels of obesity. I hope putting warnings on sunbeds does not have a similar effect. It is a very problematic area, and, while we want it to have an effect, we have many examples where warnings are not working.

Skin cancer is the most common cancer in Ireland. There are deaths from skin cancer as well as increases in cases of melanoma. Some nine out of ten cases of skin cancer are caused by UV rays from the sun or from sunbeds, so reduced exposure to UV rays equals reducing the risk of developing skin cancer. The other fact I have alluded to is that people with fair skin or skin that burns easily - type 1 or type 2 skin - have an increased risk of developing cancer. Therefore, eliminating those people from being able to use these sunbeds would also be an improvement.

This does not mean we are living in a nanny state but that we are living in a caring state. In this context banning those under 18 years of age is also progress because those who start before the age of 30 have a 75% increased risk of malignant melanoma. Another alarming statistic from the Irish Cancer Society concerns the number of people under 25 who use sunbeds. What is really disturbing for me is the number of children, not just in Dublin but elsewhere too, whose parents seem to think using a sunbed before holy communion or confirmation is the way to go. I do not know what can be done to get the message home to such parents of the dangers involved.

Today, there are all sorts of tanning lotions, false tans and false sprays. Great improvements have been made from the days of the orange, "Oompa Loompa" look, so I cannot understand why there is not more of an emphasis on increasing the use of lotions and sprays instead of sunbeds. I would like to see sunbeds limited altogether, in the same way as with smoking. However, as with smoking, we just have to keep going.

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