To ask the Minister of Health whether he has any plans to assess options for restricting non-surgical aesthetic procedures for under 18s.

There is currently no set minimum age a person can avail of these treatments in Northern Ireland. To effectively introduce and enforce such a minimum age threshold would require legislative change. In the short time remaining of this mandate, my Department has no current plans to introduce such legislation.

This issue could be considered as part of any potential development of future legislation in respect of the provision of Non-Surgical Cosmetic Products and Procedures, which would include an assessment of options for setting minimum age requirements in respect of accessing treatments.

The risk to public safety posed by the unlawful distribution and misuse of unauthorised medicinal products within the non-surgical cosmetic sector in Northern Ireland remains an ongoing issue and my Department remains committed in its efforts to combat unlawful promotion, supply or misuse of medicines, including those identified for use in the non-surgical cosmetic sector.