§ Sir Geoffrey Finsbergasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will introduce measures to relieve those importers of scented erasers who will suffer financial loss by reason of irrevocable contracts into which they entered before S.I., 1984, No. 83 was laid.
§ Mr. Alexander FletcherNo: there is no provision under the Consumer Safety Act 1978 for compensation to suppliers of unsafe goods.
§ Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many letters he has received about the Scented Erasers (Safety) Order; and how many of these have supported the introduction of the order.
§ Mr. Alexander FletcherI have received numerous letters about the ban on scented erasers. There is general agreement that some action was needed. Letters received from suppliers since the order was made generally consider that it should not have been introduced without consultation and that its coverage is too wide. I am not at all surprised that the millions of parents for whose children this hazard has now been minimised have not written to their MPs or to me to express their approval, whereas some scores of suppliers who are faced with financial loss have written letters of protest or criticism.
§ Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will define in terms of size the smaller scented erasers, the renewed sale of which prompted him to introduce the Scented Erasers (Safety) Order.
§ Mr. Alexander FletcherI see no need to do so. The dimensional criterion in the order was that considered by medical advisors to be necessary to avoid a choking risk to young children. Any scented eraser of a size below that stated in the order constituted such a risk.
§ Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he took to advise the wholesalers and retailers of scented erasers of the size or character of the smaller scented erasers, the sale of which was deplored in the press statement issued by his Department in November 1982.
§ Mr. Alexander FletcherMy predecessor's advice was made known to representative associations of importers and retailers of scented erasers and to individual suppliers who had contacted my officials prior to the issue of the press statement. The press statement calling for commonsense and caution referred to "articles such as scented erasers designed to resemble sweets and other types of food" and to "something which looks and smells like food" and to "novelties of this kind" and to "smaller size novelties of this kind particularly likely to cause choking if swallowed" and to the attachment of warnings, where possible and sensible, to
10Wall noveltiies which are scented or which resemble food.When it came to making the order it was necessary to provide a definition that would make enforcement possible and I decided that the two criteria of size and smell provided the best definition.
§ Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he took to obtain firmer information and details regarding the press reports of incidents involving the use of scented erasers; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Alexander FletcherOnly one of the four incidents reported in the media was covered by a press report, the other three being reported on television. All four reports gave adequate information about the incidents in question.
The Association of County Councils and the Association of District Councils, as well as individual trading standards departments, urged me to take formal action to reduce the potential risk of a child being seriously injured. I considered that the risk was such that a banning order was appropriate.