THE use of e-cigarettes in enclosed public spaces in Wales could be banned, and regulations on tattooing and body piercing tightened, as part of radical reforms announced by the Welsh Government.

The proposals are included in a new Public Health (Wales) Bill to be introduced into the Assembly today.

The Bill, which also includes proposals to reshape pharmacy services, and make councils responsible for improving access to public toilets, has been the subject of a lengthy gestation involving two public consultations.

The health of people in Wales is improving, but the pace is slow and the latest Welsh Health Survey results highlighted significant differences in health indicators between the least and most deprived areas.

It is eight years since the ban on smoking in enclosed public spaces in Wales was introduced, and the intervening period has also seen the establishment of e-cigarettes as a common sight across the UK.

Many people use them to try to quit smoking, but there is conflicting evidence on their effectiveness and safety, and the Welsh Government, by proposing a ban on their use in enclosed public spaces, will be blazing what it sees as a necessary trail for the UK in terms of improving health and safeguarding the gains made through reductions in smoking rates.

The aim of a a ban is not to prevent people from using e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation aid, but rather to try to ensure smoking-related behaviour is not re-normalised, in particular for a generation of children who since the smoking ban was introduced in 2007 are not used to seeing tobacco products smoked in enclosed public places.

In the absence of conclusive evidence on the safety of e-cigarettes, the Welsh Government is erring on the side of caution to try to maintain the albeit gradual trend of smoking reduction, though opinion, even among experts, is divided.

To cite two examples, members of the British Medical Association last year called for a ban on the use of e-cigarettes in public places where smoking is prohibited. But Cancer Research UK opposes such a move, claiming there is not enough evidence to justify such a ban, and fearing the measure could create more barriers for smokers trying to quit tobacco.

The issue of tighter regulations for tattoo and body piercing practitioners and premises has been highlighted in Wales in the past month, with precautionary health checks offered to hundreds of people amid concerns over a business in Newport, after several of its customers contracted severe skin infections.

Public health experts in Wales have since called for a shake-up of existing legislation, and the Bill proposes just that.

As well as paving the way for the establishment of criteria that would-be practitioners would have to satisfy - for instance on competency and hygiene procedures - before being awarded a licence, it will empower councils to take direct action to prevent errant practice.

Overall, the Bill will seek to shape social conditions toward the creation of healthier, friendlier environments for people to live in.

But particularly in the case of the proposed e-cigarettes restriction, it is likely to stir up controversy aplenty before it becomes law.

Tobacco and e-cigarettes

As well as ban on the use of e-cigarettes in enclosed public spaces, the Bill proposes the creation of a national register of retailers and nicotine products, with councils able to use it to provide support and education to these retailers and assist with enforcement.

It will also make it illegal to hand over tobacco or nicotine products to under-18s, for example through home delivery services.

Tattooing and body piercing

A compulsory licensing system is proposed in Wales for people wishing to perform these practices, and this would also cover acupuncture and electrolysis.

Premises will also require approval and councils will get new powers to act against unlicensed practitioners and those breaching the terms of their licence.

Under current regulations, which are more than 30 years old, few restrictions apply and councils usually have to grant licences if applied for.

The Bill will introduce a framework for developing licence criteria and it is intended that regulators work with the industry to draw them up. They are unlikely to be introduced before 2017.

The Bill will also ban the intimate piercing - of breast and genitals - of under-16s.

Building community assets for health:

The Bill aims to recognise the increasing role of pharmacies in providing health services.

It will propose a change in the way pharmaceutical services are planned by health boards, away from focusing solely on prescription dispensing, toward responding to the needs of communities.

There is also a focus on publicly accessible toilets, an issue which the Welsh Government believes affects dignity and quality of life.

Councils will have to publish a Local Toilet Strategy, covering the facilities available, demand, and what they are doing to meet that demand. This might lead to more arrangements with shops and other public bodies to provide more toilet facilities for use by the public.

Alcohol pricing

A minimum unit price for alcohol was originally proposed for inclusion in the Bill, but separate draft legislation for Wales is being drawn up, while a legal challenge to Scotland's proposal on the issue is dealt with by the European courts.