John Crown (Independent) | Oireachtas source

We had a recent discussion and the Seanad sponsored a consultation on lifestyle changes and cancer. If, however, the Seanad is not to leave itself open to an extraordinary charge of hypocrisy in making aphoristic statements, it needs to come to grips with a few things that we in this House and the other House can jointly do. It is important that one of those things is that the important legislation proposed by me and Senators van Turnhout and Daly on banning smoking in cars where children are present is advanced in this term. Second, we must tell the Minister for Finance to ensure that there is a removal or reduction in VAT on sun block products. Those products have the potential to reduce one of the most rapidly increasing cancers in this country. Third, and for the same reason, we must quickly see - we have talked about the issue and I mentioned it in the previous term on a matter on the Adjournment - legislation to regulate sun beds. I bring up these issues only because when we had our consultation on cancer, I was sitting here pinching myself because the debate was turning into a bunch of people talking about motherhood and apple pie when we can do something about the issue. Let us take action.