I thank the Member for the question and I know this is something he has taken a particular interest in, and that the body representing hairdressers has also written to all Assembly Members on this particular issue as well.

It’s our view that industry regulation and health and safety are non-devolved, so it’s not something that we believe that we would have the powers to regulate within this Bill in any case. The reason we’ve chosen those four particular special procedures in terms of introducing the Bill to the Assembly was because these are ones that carry particular harm, or potential harm, I should say, because they puncture the skin and that could lead to infection, blood-borne viruses and so on. So, those are things that join together those four particular procedures. Also, they’re ones that local authorities are already familiar with, and I think it’s important when we introduce a Bill, certainly at this first stage, that local authorities are given a set of responsibilities that they are familiar with and are able to regulate within their current understanding, although I know a lot of training is already going on in anticipation of the successful passage of the Bill.

Just as was the case for no-smoking areas outdoors, the Bill does give power to Ministers in future to extend the list of special procedures should they choose to do so. Again, that would happen after consultation and via the affirmative process within the Assembly.