David Cullinane (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

My point is that we can make a decision as legislators to prevent people from doing something we consider harmful. That is why there is a ban on cannabis. If we were to follow the Minister's logic, we would allow people to smoke cannabis and take whatever medications they want. We would, in other words, be failing to protect people.

If we strip this down to its bare bones, it is a very simple argument. We know that by 2040 there will be a doubling of the incidence of cancer in this country. That is an absolute reality. These amendments are seeking to minimise that increase by protecting people who are most at risk of skin cancer. It is not about singling people out for the sake of it. It is a fact that people with a certain skin type are more vulnerable to developing skin cancer as a result of using sunbeds. The question we must ask ourselves is whether the provisions we have proposed in these amendments would save lives and result in lower cancer rates. If the answer is "Yes", then accepting the amendments is the right thing to do. If the Bill is passed without these amendments, we will have better regulation and some degree of improvement on the current situation. If the Minister accepts these amendments, sunbed operators will be prohibited from exploiting people whose skin types make them most vulnerable to skin cancer and we will, as a result, see a reduction in cancer rates.

Senator Gilroy said that allowing people to harm themselves is a separate issue from preventing them causing harm to others. However, if people with these particular skin types go on to develop skin cancer as a result of sunbed usage, there is a huge cost to the taxpayer in the resulting demands on the health service.

Given that we all pay for their mistakes, we have a responsibility as legislators to deal with such issues. It is not solely about personal choice. A person does not have the right to cause harm that could increase the burden on taxpayers. We can go over and back on the democracy issue, but if one strips it down, the intent of these amendments is to save lives and ensure people at risk are protected.