HC Deb 28 July 1975 vol 896 cc372-3W
37. Mr. Hardy

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection if she is satisfied that arrangements are adequate to prevent the use of harmful and poisonous substances in the manufacture of children's soft toys offered for sale in the United Kingdom.

Mr. Alan Williams

My Department is urgently considering, with the Laboratory of the Government Chemist and the British Standards Institution, whether any action can be taken to prevent a recurrence of the recent tragic accident in which a child died from cyanide fumes given off when the acrylic fibres in her teddy bear smouldered. I am advised that there are considerable technical problems to overcome before a substance suitable for use in soft toys can be found which has the same good flame-resistant qualities as acrylics, and at the same time is less likely to give off toxic fumes.

Mr. Loveridge

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection if she will take steps to ensure that potentially dangerous toys are not imported into the United Kingdom; and if she will outline the present procedures for checking such imports.

Mr. Maclennan

It would be impracticable to control the safety of imported consumer products, including toys, at the point of importation. But importers, like other traders, are liable to prosecution if they sell toys which do not comply with the Toys (Safety) Regulations 1974.