Question:
70 Mr. Hayes asked the Minister for Health and Children the regulations which exist in relation to the practice of body piercing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14531/01]
Other Questions. - Body Piercing.
My Department has from time to time been asked to regulate the activities of persons providing body piercing and tattooing services. The approach being adopted is to prepare good practice guidelines for practitioners rather than draw up specific regulations. It is intended that these guidelines will serve to assist environmental health officers in their inspection of premises under the infectious diseases regulations. It is also intended to produce an advice and information leaflet for the general public about the possible risks attached to body piercing and tattooing.
Under the Infectious Diseases Regulations, 1981, health boards are empowered, where there is reason to believe that a probable source of infection exists, to carry out an investigation and to take such steps as are necessary or desirable to investigate the nature and source of such infection, to prevent the spread of such infection and to remove conditions favourable to infection. While a considerable amount of work has been undertaken to date, the guidelines are not yet finalised.
Further consideration of the issues involved and further consultation with appropriate interested parties is necessary before my Department will be in a position to bring the guidelines to completion. Due to other competing demands it is not possible at this stage to put a time frame on the completion of these guidelines.
Mr. Hayes
The Minister probably wished Deputy McCreevy's mouth was stapled when he came out of Ballymascanlon some weeks ago. The Minister informed the House on 15 November last year that he would bring forward an information leaflet. That has not been done. He also said he would bring forward guidelines but neither has that been done.
Will he accept that he has shown a degree of lethargy on this subject, given the medical evidence from general practitioners of grotesque infections occurring in young people who have used body piercing and tattooing services in this city? Will he further accept that parental consent should be required for young people under a certain age before such practices are permitted? Will he also accept that the spread of infection, specifically HIV and hepatitis B, is increased dramatically due to the piercing guns used in such operations? Minor surgeries, for which doctors do not require licences, are being performed in parts of this city; anyone can open a body piercing salon.
A question, please.
Mr. Hayes
This area must be regulated. On 15 November, the Minister stated he would address this issue but, eight months later, we are still waiting.
There are competing demands within the Department.
Mr. Hayes
The Minister can sing it.
Many areas require regulation. We are concentrating on the paramedics area but one could also mention physiotherapy, speech therapy, counselling etc. The entire allied health professionals field is unregulated. These professionals provide services for thousands, if not millions, of people throughout the country. Our objective, via our business plan, is to provide a statutory regulatory framework for allied health professionals and we are well on the way to achieving this. We hope to be in a position to publish the heads of a Bill in the autumn.
The second area of priority which I signalled in terms of regulations relates to alternative and traditional medicines. I have met practitioners and service providers involved in this field and they welcome the concept of regulation. They are interested in the model being drawn up for the allied health professionals. If we could resolve the issue of a regulatory framework for allied health professionals, we could extend that model into the area of traditional and alternative medicine and also examine its usefulness in regard to body piercing etc.
Does the Minister accept it is unsatisfactory that this issue is so far down the Department's list of priorities? If one owns a dog, one must have a licence for it, yet it is possible to open a tattoo parlour or a body piercing salon in which invasive procedures, which carry the risk of HIV, hepatitis, syphilis or TB infection, can be carried out in the absence of any regulation whatsoever. Surely this area could be regulated in parallel with work on other priority areas – I acknowledge that allied health professionals and alternative and traditional medicine practitioners must also be registered and regulated. The registration of these practitioners will be a huge task and the Minister will probably be an old age pensioner when it is concluded. His successor may eventually address the issue of body piercing which will probably be outmoded. This is a serious issue and the Minister should treat it seriously as the lack of regulation can adversely affect very young people.
The same language could be employed in regard to other unregulated areas such as allied health professionals, traditional and complementary medicines etc. – these areas are unregulated to a far greater degree throughout the country than is the area of body piercing. The Department would prefer to go the route of issuing guidelines in this area. Under the infectious diseases regulations of 1981, the health boards are empowered to investigate premises in which body piercing is carried out. I will take on board Members' views on this matter but, as I stated, we would prefer to issue guidelines in this area.
Does the Minister agree that there is a case to immediately ban piercing guns, as distinct from needles? He referred to infectious diseases; has any assessment been carried out of the potential for the transmission of such diseases through body piercing, given the recent rise of HIV infection among heterosexuals? Is the age of consent applied in regard to these procedures?
Obviously, there is a risk of diseases such as AIDS being transmitted through this activity. The issues of the age of consent and informed consent are being examined.
Written Answers follow Adjournment Debate.