Sunbeds (Regulation) Bill

If the regulations are introduced, the required information will represent a major step in that direction. The legislation is a not a move to inflict unnecessary new regulations on industry; it is about protecting children and giving people the right information to which my hon. Friend refers. They need that information when they make choices affecting their health. There will be ample opportunity for the industry to have its say, and I am pleased that the main body for the industry has thrown its support behind the Bill. The Bill will also make it easier for trading standards inspectors to check that businesses are compliant with existing regulations. We know from COMARE that""the irradiance from sunbeds can vary greatly"," and that""in recent years, sunbeds have been produced that are too powerful for the type 3 classification"," which is""the only class…suitable for general use in commercial sunbed outlets."" Today we have the chance to decide what is the most important thing to do, and I think it is the protection of our young people. At the launch of the Bill, I met a lady from Liverpool called Justine Shiels. Justine started using sunbeds at the age of 15 to get a tan before the summer holidays. In fact, I have often heard people say that they need to build up their tan before the summer holidays and then top it up again afterwards. At 32, she was diagnosed with malignant melanoma and had serious operations to remove two tumours from her chest and head. Justine came to the launch because she hopes that her story will help other young people to think about what using sunbeds is doing to their skin. She sees teenage girls in their school uniforms going into salons that she used to use, and she hopes that the Bill will succeed so that others will not have to go through what she has gone through over the past four years.