Asked by: Baroness Pidgeon (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the use of state subsidies in the production of (1) e-bikes, and (2) bicycles, made by (a) EU nations, (b) North American nations, (c) China, and (d) the rest of the world.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Trade Remedies Authority is the UK’s independent investigatory body that exists to defend the UK against unfair international trade practices, including assessing harm from subsidies. Where UK economic interests are being damaged by such unfair practices, action will be taken. The UK has in place an anti-subsidy and an anti-dumping measure on e-bikes from China, and one anti-dumping measure on bikes/bike parts from Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Tunisia. The Trade Remedies Authority is currently reviewing all three measures.
Asked by: Baroness Pidgeon (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the safety of e-bike batteries and conversion kits for sale in the UK produced in (1) the UK, (2) the EU, (3) North America, (4) China, and (5) the rest of the world.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Our product safety laws require that all consumer products placed on the UK market, including e-bike batteries and conversion kits, must comply with legal safety requirements, regardless of their origin.
The Office for Product Safety and Standards works to detect and prevent unsafe or non-compliant goods entering the UK at ports and borders, alongside Local Authority Trading Standards and other Government partners. Information on products that present risks are published on gov.uk, including country of origin where known.
OPSS has commissioned technical research into lithium-ion battery safety to strengthen Government’s evidence base on the safety of these products.
Asked by: Baroness Pidgeon (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many investigations have been launched by the Office for Product Safety and Standards into manufacturers of batteries used in (1) e-bikes, and (2) e-scooters, in each of the last five years; and where the batteries used by those manufacturers were produced.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Office for Product Safety and Standards is leading a programme of action to tackle the causes of fires in e-bikes and e-scooters. This includes targeted regulatory action, working with Local Authority Trading Standards at ports and borders, to identify non-compliant businesses and prevent unsafe products entering the market.
OPSS has published 21 product recalls and 28 product safety reports covering regulators’ interventions on e-bikes and e-scooters, lithium-ion batteries and chargers, since 2022.
OPSS’ enforcement actions are published on gov.uk quarterly. Information on products that present risks are published on the Product Recalls and Alerts site on gov.uk.