§ 31. Mr. MarlowTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he has taken to improve consumer information about the operation of microwave ovens.
§ Mr. MacleanMy right hon. Friend the Minister published the report on the study commissioned by the Ministry on the uniformity and reproducibility of reheating in domestic microwave ovens on 4 December 1989, the day on which he received it. He was immediately in touch with the oven manufacturers' representatives. As a result, as the Minister informed the House in response to a private notice question from the hon. Member for South Shields (Dr. Clark) on 6 December at columms 323–27, the manufacturers issued updated and improved instructions on that day in relation to the models for which that was appropriate. The manufacturers were also able to make fuller information available through retail outlets and, as the Minister indicated in his reply to the hon. Member for Caerphilly (Mr. Davies) on 18 December at column30, we have encouraged retailers to stock this information.