Asked by: Kirsteen Sullivan (Labour (Co-op) - Bathgate and Linlithgow)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what his proposed timeline is for introducing regulations for online retailing of Personal Protective Equipment under the Product Regulation and Metrology Act 2025.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
As required by Regulation 2016/425, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) must meet essential health and safety requirements before being placed on the market, including online. The Personal Protective Equipment (Enforcement) Regulations 2018 provides the framework to enforce these regulations.
We recognise the challenge of non-compliant products sold online. Government will consult on major reforms to the core product safety legislative framework in early 2026. This will include proposals to modernise and clarify responsibilities of online marketplaces using the powers in the Product Regulation and Metrology Act 2025.
Asked by: Kirsteen Sullivan (Labour (Co-op) - Bathgate and Linlithgow)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions on trading standards has the Office for Product Safety and Standards had with the British Safety Industry Federation on Personal Protective Equipment.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The British Safety Industry Federation (BSIF) and the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) regularly discuss Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) matters, including trading standards’ market surveillance of PPE. BSIF and OPSS engage through direct dialogue, BSIF’s attendance at OPSS’ business reference panels and other events, and OPSS attendance at BSIF’s PPE Test and Certification Bodies Group meetings.
Asked by: Kirsteen Sullivan (Labour (Co-op) - Bathgate and Linlithgow)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many personal protective equipment products were tested against regulatory standards by the Office for Product Safety and Standards in the (a) 2022, (b) 2023 and (c) 2024 reporting year.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Under UK law, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) manufacturers and importers are responsible for the compliance of PPE placed on the market. As an intelligence-led and risk-based national regulator, the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) prioritises its regulatory activity, which includes product testing, border targeting, market surveillance, enforcement and advice, to best tackle non-compliance and protect consumers. Numbers of notifications to OPSS and published product safety alerts and reports for non-compliant PPE since 2021 are:
Year | PPE Product Safety Database notifications to OPSS | PPE Product Safety Recalls or Reports published by OPSS |
2024-25 | 67 | 110 |
2023-24 | 278 | 94 |
2022-23 | 82 | 18 |
2021-22 | 383 | 7 |
During targeted PPE testing conducted by OPSS between October 2021 and September 2022, 276 out of 315 products did not meet regulatory requirements.
Asked by: Kirsteen Sullivan (Labour (Co-op) - Bathgate and Linlithgow)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many personal protective equipment products tested by the Office for Product Safety and Standards failed regulatory standards in the (a) 2022, (b) 2023 and (c) 2024 reporting year.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Under UK law, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) manufacturers and importers are responsible for the compliance of PPE placed on the market. As an intelligence-led and risk-based national regulator, the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) prioritises its regulatory activity, which includes product testing, border targeting, market surveillance, enforcement and advice, to best tackle non-compliance and protect consumers. Numbers of notifications to OPSS and published product safety alerts and reports for non-compliant PPE since 2021 are:
Year | PPE Product Safety Database notifications to OPSS | PPE Product Safety Recalls or Reports published by OPSS |
2024-25 | 67 | 110 |
2023-24 | 278 | 94 |
2022-23 | 82 | 18 |
2021-22 | 383 | 7 |
During targeted PPE testing conducted by OPSS between October 2021 and September 2022, 276 out of 315 products did not meet regulatory requirements.
Asked by: Kirsteen Sullivan (Labour (Co-op) - Bathgate and Linlithgow)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many personal protective equipment products were tested by the Office for Product Safety and Standards in the (a) 2022, (b) 2023 and (c) 2024 reporting year.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Under UK law, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) manufacturers and importers are responsible for the compliance of PPE placed on the market. As an intelligence-led and risk-based national regulator, the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) prioritises its regulatory activity, which includes product testing, border targeting, market surveillance, enforcement and advice, to best tackle non-compliance and protect consumers. Numbers of notifications to OPSS and published product safety alerts and reports for non-compliant PPE since 2021 are:
Year | PPE Product Safety Database notifications to OPSS | PPE Product Safety Recalls or Reports published by OPSS |
2024-25 | 67 | 110 |
2023-24 | 278 | 94 |
2022-23 | 82 | 18 |
2021-22 | 383 | 7 |
During targeted PPE testing conducted by OPSS between October 2021 and September 2022, 276 out of 315 products did not meet regulatory requirements.
Asked by: Kirsteen Sullivan (Labour (Co-op) - Bathgate and Linlithgow)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many personal protective equipment products were reported to the Office for Product Safety and Standards in the (a) 2022, (b) 2023 and (c) 2024 reporting year.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Under UK law, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) manufacturers and importers are responsible for the compliance of PPE placed on the market. As an intelligence-led and risk-based national regulator, the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) prioritises its regulatory activity, which includes product testing, border targeting, market surveillance, enforcement and advice, to best tackle non-compliance and protect consumers. Numbers of notifications to OPSS and published product safety alerts and reports for non-compliant PPE since 2021 are:
Year | PPE Product Safety Database notifications to OPSS | PPE Product Safety Recalls or Reports published by OPSS |
2024-25 | 67 | 110 |
2023-24 | 278 | 94 |
2022-23 | 82 | 18 |
2021-22 | 383 | 7 |
During targeted PPE testing conducted by OPSS between October 2021 and September 2022, 276 out of 315 products did not meet regulatory requirements.
Asked by: Kirsteen Sullivan (Labour (Co-op) - Bathgate and Linlithgow)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will endorse the new BS30417 standard on PPE.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government strongly supports the principle of provision of inclusive personal protective equipment (PPE). While the Government does not routinely endorse individual standards, it may designate certain standards to confer a presumption of conformity for regulatory purposes, or sponsor fast-track standards such as PAS and FLEX to support specific policy objectives.
BS 30417 is a guidance standard to help organisations procure inclusive and appropriate PPE. It does not set testing or design specifications and is not intended for designation under current product regulations.
Asked by: Kirsteen Sullivan (Labour (Co-op) - Bathgate and Linlithgow)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he plans to review regulations and enforcement of PPE standards for sale through online marketplaces.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
PPE must meet the essential health and safety requirements as set out in Regulation 2016/425, as assimilated into UK law. The Personal Protective Equipment (Enforcement) Regulations 2018 provide the enforcement framework for that Regulation.
The Product Regulation and Metrology Act 2025 allows us to update the product safety framework, including by explicitly recognising online marketplace businesses. We plan to consult on new requirements for online marketplaces to take steps to improve product safety on their sites. Product safety specific sector legislation, including the PPE legislation, will be reviewed in due course.
Asked by: Kirsteen Sullivan (Labour (Co-op) - Bathgate and Linlithgow)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he plans to coordinate the new Fair Work Agency with the Health and Safety Executive to enforce better-fit PPE standards.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We are creating the Fair Work Agency to deliver a much-needed upgrade to enforcement of employment rights.
Its core function will be to enforce specific employment legislation, set out in Part 1 of Schedule 7 of the Employment Rights Bill.
We have taken steps to ensure the Fair Work Agency can work closely with the Health and Safety Executive, including sharing information that is relevant to the Health and Safety Executive’s statutory role. This is provided for by Schedule 9 of the Employment Rights Bill.