Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

In regard to public awareness, I am often astonished not so much so see that adults are burning, but that they have removed protective clothing from their own children. In regard to the lack of knowledge about preventative measures to which Deputy Ó Caoláin referred, it is more likely that damage will be done to children under the age of 12 years because of the way in which their skin develops. That is the age group we are considering seriously.

Deputy Ó Caoláin referred to Australia. The obvious solution would be an outright ban but the difficulty is that we are close to other jurisdictions. For example, there is nothing to stop someone in the Deputy's county from ordering a sunbed across the Border and having it delivered to his or her door. That happens on a regular basis. This Bill would require such an individual to operate the sunbed according to the laws of this country, even though the equipment came from a different jurisdictions. We must also abide by the Constitution and EU legislation.

Given my skin type, I am well aware of the dangers arising. It is a question of public awareness and this legislation will begin that process. Many people are aware of the dangers of ultraviolet rays but others are not. The risks do not arise solely in this country. There is a notion that people can go to Spain to throw themselves under the sun for two weeks. Those two weeks do more damage than anything we can do in this country. However, even though we do not have great summers or intense sunshine, we should none the less protect ourselves between April and September. It is not as if we are immune just because we avoid sunbeds or do not travel abroad. There is a process of education involved but the only people we can protect are those under the age of 18 years, and that is the purpose of this Bill. I am not saying that we will never go further but for now this is as far as we are prepared to go. I believe this is a significant Bill in the context of protecting children.

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