James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I agree 100% with Senator Crown on the need for education. We must continually drive home the message regarding the harmful effects of sunbed usage. We have included a prohibition in the Bill on claims being made by sunbed operators that their use has a health benefit by, for instance, providing vitamin D. We are insisting that all operators go through a form with customers to ensure they understand the risks. We have stipulated that all premises containing tanning equipment must display warning signs that it is against the law to allow a person aged under 18 to use a sunbed on those premises or to hire or sell a sunbed to such persons, and that sunbed use will increase the risk of cancer, damage the skin and possibly damage the eyesight. There will be plenty of warnings to people about the risks involved. However, in this country, as in most right-thinking democracies, we do not remove people's right to exercise their own choice, regardless of whether their choice is harmful to them.
We have had a very good debate on this issue and it will be a pity to divide on these amendments. I hope the message goes out that the Oireachtas is absolutely committed to protecting people's health, particularly children's health, but we will not interfere with the constitutional rights of citizens. Senator Cullinane asked whether we can legislate for certain things. The answer is that we can legislate for anything, but some things, if we introduce them in legislation, are very likely to be struck down by the courts. Moreover, why introduce a law that would risk losing much of the goodwill that exists towards the initiatives we are taking in the interests of public health?
The Senators are aware of my view, as Minister for Health and as a doctor, that we must stop paying lip service to prevention and begin actually paying for it. That is what we are seeking to do with this Bill, the tobacco Bill and the Bills to come on the sale of alcohol and, if needs be, to make the display of calorie information a legal requirement. In the latter case, I would much prefer to see that happen by way of a voluntary code. Indeed, moves in that direction are starting to gather pace. I congratulate the Food Safety Authority of Ireland on its MenuCal initiative, which is a world first. Its website, menucal.ie, explains very simply how to calculate the number of calories in a meal one has prepared. It is a useful tool for small restaurant and café owners who are concerned about the cost of providing calorie information to customers.
All I want is for people to be able to make an informed choice. It is up to us to ensure they are in a position to do so by raising awareness and educating them on the dangers of sunbeds, tobacco and an unhealthy diet. I thank the Senators for their contributions, but I will not be accepting the amendments.