Health Committee Rejects Sunbed Ban

May 5, 2015

Health (Protection) Amendment Bill Government Bill

On 1 May 2015 the Health Select Committee released its report on its recommendations relating to the Health (Protection) Amendment Bill. The report follows a period of consultation in which a number of agencies made both written and oral submissions.

In its submission MelNet highlighted its longstanding advocacy for mandatory compliance with the Australia/New Zealand solaria standard and licensing of services. Based upon a recent survey of members, MelNet also recommended that Government consider a total ban. MelNet's submission also called for regulation of services using pulsed light and laser devices.

Other groups, including the Melanoma Foundation (now Melanoma New Zealand), the Cancer Society of New Zealand and Consumer NZ, called for a complete ban. All submissions on the bill can be found here.

In its report, the Health Select Committee noted “ a lot of concern regarding the link between skin cancer and the use of sunbeds”. According to the report, members “carefully considered extending the proposed ban to completely prohibit the commercial use of artificial UV tanning services, which many submitters suggested”. However, the committee was “satisfied that the bill as introduced would protect the vulnerable under-18 age group and allow adults to make informed decisions about sunbed use in an environment of improved operator compliance”. The report cites other legislation, including the Smoke-free Environments Act 1990 and the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012 that “also recognise 18 as an age at which people are capable of making their own choices”.

New Zealand Labour Party, New Zealand First Party, and Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand Minority View

According to a minority view section of the report, Committee members of Labour, New Zealand First, and the Green Party do not believe that the amendment bill goes far enough in restricting the use of artificial UV tanning services for cosmetic purposes. They argue “the majority of unique submitters felt that the bill should completely prohibit the commercial use of sunbeds for cosmetic purposes as they are not safe and offer no health benefits”. In their view, “New Zealanders should not be put at risk of dying from cancer for a service that offers no health benefits”.

The minority view also includes disappointment that an initial recommendation from the committee “requiring the Director-General to review the operation of the age-related ban and infringement process on artificial UV tanning services three years after its commencement has not been inserted into the bill”. According to the report, “Labour will be introducing a supplementary order paper that will ban the use of artificial UV tanning services that will not commence until three years after the Act has received Royal assent to give commercial operators time to phase out their services”.

Source:
Health (Protection) Amendment Bill Government Bill As Reported from the Health Committee. 1 May 2015
http://www.parliament.nz/resource/en-nz/51DBSCH_SCR62831_1/f0cc23468e1dfcbf0fe03d1a6a07d322fc33f7dd