Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that businesses offering tattooing or piercings possess the appropriate training and qualifications.

Local authorities are responsible for regulating and monitoring businesses offering cosmetic body piercing, including ear piercing, permanent tattooing, semi-permanent skin colouring (micropigmentation, semi-permanent make-up and temporary tattooing), electrolysis and acupuncture. Although there is no formal qualification needed for someone to practise in any of these vocations, all LAs require those providing tattooing or piercing to be licensed. Whilst the licensing process will not be dependent upon qualifications held by the operator, they would be required to be competent in methods of cleansing and sterilising of equipment.

We consider this is an area where progress can be most quickly and effectively made by practitioners, their organisations, industry bodies, training bodies and enforcement authorities working together to agree on suitable standards of good practice and competency.

Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, piercing and tattoo businesses have a legal duty to protect the health of employees and persons other than their employees, who may be affected by the practices. This information is available at the following link:

http://www.hse.gov.uk/legislation/hswa.htm