§ Mr. Ronald Brownasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will take steps to ensure that foam filling used in the manufacture of soft toys is 417W flame retardent; and if he will issue instructions that all soft toys be stamped, highly inflammable, unless flame retardent foam is used.
§ Mr. SharplesI have been asked to reply.
My right hon. Friend does not consider that the degree of risk presented by foam fillings which are not flame-retardent is such as to call for action of this kind, but he proposes to suggest to the British Standards Institution that the flammability of such fillings might be considered by the technical committee concerned with the safety of toys.
§ Mr. Ronald Brownasked the Secretary of State for Employment if his attention has been drawn to a recent incident where a teddy bear had a flame passed beneath one arm and within two seconds was wholly ignited due to the foam filling being highly inflammable; and, having regard to the fact that the use of lighted candles will be prevalent in the next few weeks, if he will take urgent steps to inform parents and children of the danger of fire from the stuffing in soft toys.
§ Mr. SharplesI have been asked to reply.
The fire hazard presented by soft toys depends, in the main, on the ignitability of their outer fabric rather than the flammability of the filling material. I understand that the British Standards Institution will shortly be publishing an amendment to the Code of Safety Requirements for Children's Toys requiring such fabrics to pass a flammability test. My right hon. Friend does not consider that any public warning about the flammability of foam fillings in toys is necessary.