"It should most certainly be banned, " said Derek Daniels of Assets modelling agency in Dublin. "It is ridiculous for girls under 16 and even under 18 to be modelling clothes for grown-ups. They aren't properly developed either physically or mentally for that kind of work."

However, he added that there are very few models under 16 doing that kind of work in Ireland.

"We just don't go for that kind of waif-thin look over here. Irish models tend to be a lot healthier and be of a much more womanly shape. Look at Katy French. And Andrea Roche is a size 12 and always in demand. We only have a couple of girls on our books who are a size eight."

At Morgan The Agency, girls under the age of 16 are "kept on the sidelines until they are mature enough to do important jobs, " according to Rebecca Morgan.

"There are no formal restrictions in Ireland or any legal requirements when it comes to younger models, " she said. "It's more of a moral issue. You have to be very aware of a girl's age . . .many can appear much older than they really are.

"I would certainly not agree with a 14-year-old girl being out there strutting her stuff."

Models are chosen according to the look that the fashion house is going for and that tends to be "sophisticated and womanly in Ireland, " said Morgan. "It depends on the target market."

Topshop is one exception to the rule . . . they tend to look for young teenage models for their shows to replicate the London waif trend.

First Options modelling agency takes girls on from the age of 14, and its founder, Julian Fallon, started modelling at the age of 15. These days, according to her sister and co-founder Trish, their young models are trained up and given only small jobs for the first couple of years. "No one wants them until they are a little bit older, " she said.