Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Answer of 25 November 2013, Official Report, column 126W, on gas masks, what progress he has made on preventing the continued on-line sale of Second World War gas masks containing asbestos.

HSE has concluded its sampling exercise with online sellers. A number of the different types of gas mask available were analysed and most found to contain asbestos. The placing on the market, supply and transport of almost all items containing asbestos, including gas masks, is prohibited by the EU Regulation on Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (EU1907/2006) (REACH).

HSE and Trading Standards are working with the platform, which hosted the purchases of the gas masks involved in the study, on a policy to prohibit the sale of items that fall under REACH.

HSE will continue work on a case by case basis with Local Authority Trading Standards, who are responsible for enforcement relating to sale to consumers, to take robust action against those who break the law on asbestos and unnecessarily put themselves and others at risk.