David Cullinane (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the House. During the Second Stage debate, Members from Sinn Féin, Fianna Fáil and the Independent groupings put on record their support for the Bill. This is a very important Bill and I thank the Minister again for coming in to take the amendments today.

The Minister might recall that there was some discussion on the smoking ban that was introduced by the previous Government, which has worked effectively and no doubt will result in the reduction of the incidence of cancer. No half measures were taken. We can criticise the previous Government for the things it did wrong, but in the case of the smoking ban, it did what was necessary to do. It faced strong lobbying from the Licensed Vintners Association and from the tobacco industry and vested interests and held firm and went for a full ban on smoking. I think that was the right thing to do. I wish to draw a comparison to what is happening here today. The Minister is introducing an important Bill that will have a significant impact in reducing cancer levels by regulating the use of sunbeds, but the Bill does not go far enough.

The amendments are fairly straightforward. They provide that a person who wishes to use a sunbed must provide the owner, manager or employee with a certificate from a medical practitioner stating that the Fitzpatrick skin photo type classification system was used to assess his or her skin type.

The amendments seek to prohibit people with fair skin, and I fall into that category and perhaps the Minister would fall into the same category, people with type 1 or type 2 skin types from using sunbeds.

During the debate on Second Stage we all agreed that skin cancer is on the rise in Ireland and that far too many are suffering from skin cancer. Skin cancer is the most common cancer in Ireland. In 2010, 9,450 people were diagnosed with skin cancer and of these 896 were diagnosed with melanoma, which is the most serious form of skin cancer. It is projected that by 2040, the number will double. We have a responsibility to do the right thing and put people's health first. There are, in my view, people who are misguided on the use of sunbeds. Some might argue that they have a right to use them and that it is a matter of personal choice. We have a duty of care to people's heath. We have tabled the amendments in good faith and I hope the Minister will support them. If he does not support them, I have no doubt that we will initiate another Bill to amend this legislation.

Should the Minister have a problem with the amendments, will he explain the problems and the reason he is unable to accept them and whether he will be able to deal with them at a future point. Regardless of whether the amendments are accepted, I will be supporting the Bill. I noted on Second Stage that the Minister also introduced legislation on smoking, which I support. This is a good Bill but I hope the Minister will take a step further and that would be a very good day for all concerned.