Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on small businesses of the requirement under the Regulation on General Product Safety (2023/988) to have a responsible economic operator established in Northern Ireland or the EU, and whether they have considered negotiating alternative arrangements for micro-businesses.

The updated GPSR largely formalises the reality of how many businesses are already operating and the measures are therefore likely to have limited impact in practice. We understand that for some businesses, the regulation will require changes, and we take any concerns extremely seriously.

The Government is providing support. We have issued guidance, will keep this under review and continue to engage businesses directly to ensure we are supporting them to trade freely within the UK and with the EU. We have regular discussions with online marketplaces and businesses that sell products online on a range of issues to hear their concerns.