Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

1307. To ask the Minister for Health his future plans to regulate the use of sunbeds with particular reference to the need for regulation in respect of minors and in addition to the failure of safe regulation in recent years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37077/13]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Public Health (Sunbeds) Bill has now been drafted. Under the Draft Bill, I propose to make it an offence to sell or hire a sunbed to a person under 18 years of age or allow such a person to use a sunbed on a sunbed premises. Breaches of this core provision will result in prosecution and very significant penalties will be available to the courts in cases of non-compliance.

The Draft Bill provides for a prohibition on sunbed businesses from permitting persons under 18 years of age from purchasing or hiring a sunbed or using a sunbed on a sunbed premises. Other key provisions included in the Bill:-

(i) a prohibition on the unsupervised use of sunbeds in a sunbed premises;

(ii) an exemption for medical purposes;

(iii) control on the remote sale or hire of sunbeds (internet transactions);

(iv) sunbed operators, sellers and hirers will be required to notify the HSE;

(v) a requirement that sunbed operators provide training for staff;

(vi) an enforcement regime and the imposition of penalties for non-compliance;

(vii) an obligation on all sunbed operators to provide protective eyewear to users;

(viii) a requirement that warning signs be displayed in all sunbed premises;

(ix) a prohibition on certain promotional marketing practices;

(x) a requirement on operators to ensure that sunbed users are made fully aware of the potential dangers of sunbed use; and a related provision whereby sunbed users are required to sign to confirm that they have been made so aware.

I am delighted to be in a position to confirm that the drafting of the Bill has been completed and that the Bill has been notified to the EU Commission under the EU Transparency Directive - a process that will take a minimum of 3 months to complete. Following completion of the Commission's process, the Bill will be published and initiated in the Oireachtas.