IoL urges Government to adopt licensing regime in response to DHSC sunbeds consultation

The Institute of Licensing (IoL) has published its full response to the Department of Health and Social Care’s consultation on strengthening the regulation of commercial sunbeds in England, strongly supporting all six proposed measures but warning that the reforms will fall short without a robust compliance and enforcement framework.

The consultation, launched by DHSC earlier this summer, seeks views on mandatory age‑verification checks, mandatory supervision of sunbed use, prohibiting the sale or hire of sunbeds to under‑18s, mandatory provision of health‑risk information, mandatory provision of protective eyewear, and prohibiting the promotion of unproven health benefits.

Across both its survey response and supplementary submission, the IoL emphasises that while each proposal is sensible and proportionate, the current legislative framework—principally the Sunbeds (Regulation) Act 2010—does not provide the tools local authorities need to enforce them effectively. The IoL highlights that more than 200 under‑age access cases have been recorded across 66 local authorities since 2010, including children as young as ten, and that the true figure is likely to be significantly higher.

A recurring theme throughout the IoL’s submission is the absence of any national register of commercial sunbed operators. As the IoL notes, “There is no way of knowing where the sunbeds are. No register exists, and sunbeds are frequently on offer in gyms, hotels and beauty salons.” Without a mechanism to identify operators, enforcement remains reactive and largely dependent on complaints or intelligence.