Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 7 February 2023 to Question 138258 on Labelling: Packaging, what the UK's policy has been on matters relating to the meetings of the potential hazards issues working group established by the UN Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals; and whether the UK (a) supported, (b) opposed or (c) did not taken a position in response to EU proposals to introduce new hazard classes on endocrine disruptors and other hazards.

The UK is an active participant of the potential hazard issues informal working group at the United Nations Globally Harmonized System of classification and labelling of chemicals (UN GHS) and supported a mandate issued to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to conduct a state of the science review for endocrine disruptors, persistence and mobility. The mandate includes a review of the existing GHS hazard classes to inform technical discussions on the extent to which the potential hazard issues raised by the European Union (EU) delegation are addressed by existing GHS hazard classes.

There are no plans to consider the suitability of establishing new hazard classes in the Great Britain Classification, Labelling and Packaging (GB CLP) Regulation without consensus at UN GHS. The UK is committed to following the established process at UN GHS and will consider the reviews from the OECD, in addition to input from a range of policy and technical experts, both within HSE and other UK government departments and agencies, to assist in the development of the UK policy position when a proposal is agreed at working group level.