Consumer Goods: Safety

(asked on 3rd June 2019) - View Source

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to ensure that the Office for Product Safety and Standards has the (a) powers and (b) resources necessary to issue guidance and protect consumers effectively.


Answered by
Kelly Tolhurst Portrait
Kelly Tolhurst
This question was answered on 11th June 2019

The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) was set up in January 2018 to boost the UK’s product safety regime and provide national leadership on product safety matters. OPSS currently has access to my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State’s powers under the General Product Safety Regulations 2005. The Government has laid in draft an Order to ensure that OPSS powers reflect those available to other enforcement authorities under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. We will consult on whether further powers are necessary in due course.

OPSS has additional funding on product safety of around £12m this year and the Department will consider OPSS funding requirements for future years in preparation for the next spending review.

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