CIEH to host key cosmetics briefing for Health and Care Bill

CIEH is to host a key briefing for members of the House of Lords on a flagship cross-party amendment aimed at making the cosmetics industry in England safer.

CIEH has been working in coalition with the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH), the Institute of Licensing (IoL), the Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners (JCCP), the UK Public Health Network (UKPHN), the Faculty of Public Health (FPH), and Save Face, in calling for better regulation of all cosmetic treatments.

These treatments include common beauty treatments offered on the high street which can cause serious harm to clients if not carried out correctly and in a safe environment. Critically, there is currently no consistent system of regulation in England and no nationally-set training and qualification requirements for practitioners offering these treatments.

Since Caroline Nokes MP’s amendment was first tabled in early September, support for it has grown considerably. As well as public health organisations, the APPG on Beauty, Aesthetics and Wellbeing, the Beauty Industry Group, Tattooing and Piercing Industry Union and the Mental Health Foundation have now also joined this campaign.

There is now wide-reaching cross-industry consensus that a licensing scheme would bring benefits in terms of raising standards, levelling the playing field for practitioners and protecting consumers in this sector.

Due to be debated during the Bill’s Committee Stage, the amendment enables the Secretary of State for Health to introduce a licensing scheme for all non-surgical aesthetic procedures and is being sponsored by:

• Baroness Merron (Labour)
• Lord Lansley (Conservative)
• Baroness Brinton (Liberal Democrat)
• Baroness Finlay (Crossbench)

The amendment mirrors the one drafted by the Chartered institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) and tabled by Caroline Nokes MP in the House of Commons, which went on to be signed by 20 MPs from political parties across the House.

As one of CIEH’s Vice Presidents, Baroness Finlay will be chairing the online briefing session for Peers, which will have speakers representing different perspectives in this area, setting out their views on the amendment and why it would be a step forward towards better regulation. Speakers at the briefing include:

• Prof David Sines CBE - Chair of the Board of Trustees at the Joint Council of Cosmetic Practitioners, which is one of the voluntary registers for cosmetic practitioners.
• Sarah Clover - Barrister at the King’s Chambers, Trustee to the Institute of Licensing and expert on licensing law.
• Diane Hey - Representing 10 key beauty industry organisations, who are supportive of the amendment. Diane is a sector employer and educator of regulated provision. She is the Chair of the sector national occupation standards setting body steering group, Vice Chair of the Beauty & Aesthetic apprenticeship suite.
• Dawn Knight is a patient representative, who is actively working to support people who have had cosmetic procedures go wrong. Dawn is also a Lay Trustee of the JCCP.

Debbie Wood, CIEH Executive Director of Membership and External Affairs, said:

“We are delighted to be able to host this online briefing session for members of the House of Lords and to ensure that Peers are able to speak to a wide-range of representatives working across the cosmetics industry.

Ourselves and our coalition of public health organisations have worked tirelessly to keep this issue on the agenda and to build real cross-party support both in the House of Commons and now in the House of Lords.

The issue of minimal safeguards for consumers has come to a head and we are pleased to see the wide range of support our campaign is attracting.

We are calling on all members of the House of Lords to back this amendment when it is debated at Committee Stage and for the UK Government to commit to working with us to build this key licensing scheme.”