article_snippet: Police, midwives and campaigners remain confused over whether s o-called designer vagina operations fall within female genital mutilation laws, a group of MPs have said.
article_snippet: The Government has previously said the Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003 does not contain any exemptions for cosmetic surgery and The Government has no plans to amend the legislation specifically to prohibit female genital cosmetic surgery.
article_snippet: But in a report on FGM, the Home Affairs Select Committee said despite The Government reassurances  there is still confusion and FGM Act should be amended to make it clear female genital cosmetic surgery would be a criminal offence if conducted on girls under 18 without  physical or mental health justification.
article_snippet: The Government says The Government has no plans to amend FGM Act specifically to prohibit female genital cosmetic surgery .
article_snippet: Keith Vaz said: 'The law relating to female genital cosmetic surgery is ambiguous and must be clarified.
article_snippet: However, many operations are performed in private clinics, which do not have to submit statistics to The Government.
article_snippet: Keith Vaz said 'the law relating to female genital cosmetic surgery is ambiguous and must be clarified' The first prosecution under the FGM Act resulted in a not-guilty verdict when Dr  Dhanuson Dharmasena was cleared of performing the illegal procedure on a woman in a London hospital.
highlights_snippet: The Government said FGM Act has no exemptions for cosmetic surgery .
  
highlights_snippet: Keith Vaz said mutilation law 'is ambiguous and must be clarified'
  Number of NHS cosmetic genital surgeries  has risen five-fold since 2001 .