8.The Local Government Act 2003 included provisions extending the powers of local authorities in England and Wales to control the practices of cosmetic piercing and semi-permanent skin-colouring. The Department proposes to give similar powers to NI councils and consulted key stakeholders between 7 April 2004 and 30 June 2004. The Department received 30 responses, mainly from health bodies (20) and district councils (8), all of which were in support of the proposal.