05 September 2003
Plans to extend body-piercing regulation to all local authorities in England and Wales have been criticised as 'wishy-washy' by one London authority, which has overseen the practice for more than a decade.
Proposed government amendments to the Local Government Bill would enable all local authorities to require body-piercing businesses to register with them. The move would, it says, afford all people the same level of public health protection currently enjoyed by Londoners.
But Ian Watson, environmental health enforcement officer at Westminster City Council, said that what was being proposed for the rest of the country did not reflect what has long been the practice in the capital.7
'My hope was that it would duplicate what we have here in London but we're miles away from there,' he told Public Finance.
Body piercing has been subject to a rigorous licensing regime in all but three of London's 32 boroughs since 1991. Comprehensive hygiene, premises and competency checks by local authority inspectors are required before a licence is granted. The licence is also subject to annual renewal.
In contrast, the government's proposed system would mean potential proprietors submitting a one-off application plus a fee.
In return, the local authority must issue a registration, although it can require the business to comply with local bylaws.
But Watson said that serious infections and even fatalities had arisen because of botched body piercing. 'We do need stringent regulation to cover this,' he said.
Local authorities outside London currently have the power to regulate ear piercing, tattooing, acupuncture and electrolysis. The new proposal will extend these powers to cover body piercing.
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