Asked by: Lord Tope (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how the Office of Product Safety and Standards intends to address the sale on online marketplaces of unsafe electrical goods.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is committed to ensuring that only safe products can be sold in the UK. Both Local Authority Trading Standards and my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State, through the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS), have powers to take action against manufacturers, importers or distributors who sell unsafe electrical goods, including the power to require third-party sellers to recall unsafe products. Trading Standards also have the power to take action against online selling platforms within the UK jurisdiction where they engage in unfair trading practices.
OPSS proactively engages with major online marketplaces to ensure that they are playing their part in protecting UK consumers from unsafe goods.
OPSS is currently conducting a review of the Product Safety framework to ensure it is fit for purpose, protects consumers, and enables businesses to innovate and grow. It will also consider the impact on product safety of new technologies and new business models, including e-commerce.