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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 18 June 2021 to Question 11649 and with reference to the advice given to the Government by the SAGE Environmental and Modelling Group of 4 November 2020, what steps his Department has taken to develop impartial guidance for consumers to allow them to identify appropriate air cleaning devices and technologies to combat SARS-CoV-2.

All products, including air cleaning devices, placed on the market must be safe and must not make untrue or misleading statements about their properties and performance. Consumer law requires traders to provide consumers with information on the main characteristics of goods and it must be accurate and not misleading. Consumers may also request information from the retailer when making a purchase and the retailer would be required to provide this accurately under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008. Consumers can seek free information and advice from the Citizens Advice consumer service on 0808 223 1133 (www.citizensadvice.org.uk/).

The Government publishes a wide range of information for businesses about product regulation and complying with product safety legislation on its GOV.UK website (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/product-safety-for-businesses-a-to-z-of-industry-guidance). The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has issued guidance on keeping workplaces safe and disinfecting premises (https://www.hse.gov.uk/coronavirus/disinfecting-premises-during-coronavirus-outbreak.htm).

The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) has previously published consumer survey data outlining attitudes and behaviours to products related to COVID-19, including air cleaning technologies:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/opss-covid-19-consumer-survey.

After the SAGE paper publication (4 November 2020), the OPSS collaborated with the SAGE Environmental and Modelling Group to review evidence gaps associated with consumer knowledge. The OPSS has since commissioned further consumer surveys and the findings will be published in due course.

Public Health England is responsible for providing advice on public health matters to the general public.