§ 9. Mrs. Sally Oppenheimasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will inquire of the Director General of Fair Trading whether he is satisfied with the scope of his powers to collect evidence as to the safety of consumer products.
§ Mr. LaneUnder the Fair Trading Act the duties of the Director General in this field are to receive and collate evidence which becomes available to him. If, after experience of operating under the Act, he feels that it needs amendment, I am sure that he will make this known.
§ Mrs. OppenheimIs my hon. Friend aware that I am now exercising the female prerogative of nagging him on this subject? Although the House welcomes the steps he has taken in the co-ordination of this information, substantial gaps still remain, particularly since vital statistics are collected in another Department and the Director General is not empowered to investigate. It is the investigation that we are worried about.
§ Mr. LaneI am always happy to be nagged by my hon. Friend. I know that investigation is the problem and, as part 1880 of the work we do in close co-operation with the Department of Trade and Industry, the Home Office now has a research project on under which we are acquiring data about home accidents in Bromley, Gateshead, Huddersfield, Northampton, Norwich and Southampton. I hope that my hon. Friend will continue her campaign so that we may get some fast action.