Hairdressing (Consumer Protection) (Hansard, 28 May 1982)

§ Mr. Richard Alexander (Newark)

If I may retain my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State a little longer, I wish to draw the attention of the House to the need for greater consumer protection in the hairdressing industry. I am not normally to be found in the consumer activists' lobby, but I have been a member of the Hairdressing Council for the last year or two. My membership has convinced me of the need for greater protection for the paying public than is sometimes available.

The Hairdressing Council receives an average of 50 complaints a week from the victims of unskilled hairdressers. The complaints are about burning and blistering of the scalp and broken and damaged hair. Psychological harm is done to women who feel unable to venture out in front of the common gaze.

Staff at the Hairdressing Council are often in the front line, dealing with deeply distressed women who have suffered at the hands of untrained and unskilled practitioners. Women are surprised to learn that there is nothing at all to protect them from the activities of such people. They are surprised that there is no statutory control over who may practise for gain as a hairdresser. Britain is one of the few developed countries where anyone, even with only a day's tuition, can practise hairdressing for gain.

Incidents such as I have mentioned are coming more and more to the public's attention, particularly through the media in BBC's "Nationwide-Watchdog", ITV's "Money-go-round" and Radio Four's "You and Yours". In each case the complainant is advised at the end of the programme—"Use only the services of registered hairdressers whose training and skill have been assessed and approved by the Hairdressing Council."

The trouble is that consumers do not usually know who is registered and who is not. There is no obligation under the Hairdressers (Registration) Act 1964 for a hairdresser to be registered. At one time all sections of the craft were not agreed that registration should be compulsory before one could practise for gain. That is no longer true. There is now complete unanimity within the craft that registration should be mandatory.

The primary objective is not to shut out competition, but to protect the public. The hairdresser is often taking money for his services from people who are unable to make a judgment about his competence. I refer to small children, teenagers, the elderly, the infirm and the handicapped.

The hon. Member for Isle of Wight (Mr. Ross) tried to introduce a Private Member's Bill in 1978 aimed at compulsory registration. The Bill made no progress because some sections of the industry did not believe registration to be necessary. Today all sections of the industry see the need to protect clients who purchase the industry's services.

No British hairdresser can practise for gain in EEC countries unless he or she has the recognition of that country. He cannot open a salon there, yet anyone from those countries can put the British consumer at risk in this way without so much as a day's training.

This concern for the consumer that I have expressed is shared not just by members of the Hairdressing Council but by the National Hairdressers Federation, the Guild of 1225 Hairdressers, the Association of Hairdressing Teachers, the Institute of Trichologists, the World Federation of Supreme Hairdressing Schools and other smaller organisations.

My suggestion to my hon. Friend is that mandatory registration would protect the consumer, to the benefit of consumer and craft alike. It would provide no threat to those who were presently engaged in hairdressing yet unregistered, provided they had been trained and were skilled. It would help check the practices of the unskilled and in due time eliminate the unskilled from practising for gain altogether.

But these concerns have been expressed not just within the hairdressing industry. The British Medical Association, dermatologists and the Psoriasis Association also support mandatory registration, as do a number of consumer groups, such as the Consumers Association, women's institutes, townswomen's guilds, and even the women's section of the TUC.

In drawing to my hon. Friend's attention the unfortunate effects of the activities of the unqualified, I must at the same time draw to his attention that we in this country have the finest training facilities anywhere in Europe, and the craft's colleges are the envy of our European neighbours. I do not wish it to be thought from these remarks that we have a vast body of unqualified hairdressers who operate willy-nilly on members of the public. They exist, but the vast majority of hairdressers are highly skilled and highly trained members of their craft.

I am not arguing for a closed shop, where it is necessary to join a union in order to earn a living. I am arguing for the State recognition of skills before anyone can practise on the public, just as the State recognises that the public need to be protected if they put their bodies, their lives and their property in the hands of brain surgeons, dentists, opticians or solicitors.

It is all in the interests of the consumer, and in his interests I commend these thoughts to my hon. Friend's most serious contemplation.

§ The Under-Secretary of State for Trade (Mr. Iain Sproat)

I gladly respond to my hon. Friend's extremely interesting speech. I am pleased to have this opportunity to debate, albeit briefly, issues concerning the hairdressing trade, which is an important element in the services sector and one that the Government are anxious to see continuing to prosper. Therefore, I welcome my hon. Friend's initiative in bringing this matter before the House.

I am conscious of the efforts of the Hairdressing Council and its constituent members, the National Hairdressing Federation, the Incorporated Guild of 1226 Hairdressers and other bodies to this end. It is wholly desirable that they should continue to strive for the high reputation of the hairdressing trade and to give encouragement to those engaged in the craft to aim for even higher standards.

It has been a long tradition in Britain that entry to the crafts in general should be free, and it is no part of our philosophy to depart from that general principle without very strong reasons for doing so. The theme of my hon. Friend's speech was, quite rightly, "Consumer protection in the hairdressing industry". He emphasised strongly that he was underlining a consumer interest rather than a vested interest on the part of the hairdressers or barbers. I do not know what is the difference between the two terms; perhaps my hon. Friend will at some time be able to explain that to me.

My hon. Friend's argument presupposes that the general public needs safeguards against inefficient hairdressers, yet there is certainly no shortage of competition, and we should expect that to ensure that good hairdressers drive out the bad. I accept that it could be argued that that is all well and good when we are considering simply a bad haircut—the hair grows again quite quickly and can then be cut elsewhere to a higher standard—but might not be enough in the case of more complicated hair styling if positive injury, such as my hon. Friend mentioned, can be done to people. However, there seems to be little evidence that things are as serious as that.

My hon. Friend suggested, in a recent letter to me, that it would be useful for him to bring some of his colleagues on the council to see me, so that we could go into the point together in more detail. I would welcome such a discussion with my hon. Friend. Therefore, I hope that my hon. Friend will not think it unhelpful of me to limit myself today to saying that, while we do not have closed minds on the matter, we are loth to consider any move from voluntary to compulsory registration in the light of the evidence that has hitherto been available to us. That is not to deny a strong public interest in the capable operation of the craft of hairdressing, but it is an assertion of faith in the free play of competition.

I look forward to meeting my hon. Friend and his delegation when they come to see me in a few weeks' time, and I promise to have a decent haircut for him.