Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions (a) he, (b) ministers in his Department and (c) officials in his Department have had with the representatives of the Scottish Government on the sale of unsafe electrical goods online; and whether he has plans to bring forward legislative proposals for the regulation of the sale of those products online.

The Department has had discussions with the Scottish Government on a number of issues related to the safety of consumers, including on the Office for Product Safety and Standards’ (OPSS) new strategy for product safety. OPSS also works closely with local authority Trading Standards services across Scotland on specific issues, including the safety of electrical goods.

All electrical goods must meet essential safety requirements before they can be placed on the UK market, including electrical goods sold to consumers by online retailers. The Government has no plans to introduce further regulation in this area.