Hazardous Substances: EU Law

(asked on 20th December 2022) - View Source

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department is taking steps to put mechanisms in place to resolve concerns raised by the European Chemicals Agency about hazardous substances registered in the EU that are grandfathered in the UK and subject to transitional data requirements.


Answered by
Rebecca Pow Portrait
Rebecca Pow
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This question was answered on 10th January 2023

When identifying UK priorities for action under UK REACH, we will look at evidence from the European Chemicals Agency, along with other countries. If the EU is taking action on a substance, this does not mean that there has been a clear demonstration of risk within Great Britain. Where a risk has been identified within Great Britain, we might decide to address the issue in other ways, such as initiating actions under the occupational health and safety regulations or the classification, labelling and packaging regulations. The first two UK REACH Work Programmes have set out work in similar areas to the EU.

Under UK REACH, all chemical substances that are manufactured in, or imported into, Great Britain in quantities of over 1 tonne a year must be notified and registered with the Health and Safety Executive. In addition, manufacturers, importers and downstream users have the ongoing duty to identify appropriate risk management measures, pass them down the supply chain, and apply them when they use a substance.

Reticulating Splines