HC Deb 04 December 1984 vol 69 cc121-2W
Mr. Pollock

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what proportion of complaints relating to electrical goods received by the trading standards authorities and the consumer safety unit concern goods imported from the eastern bloc, the Indian sub-continent and the far east, respectively;

(2) what proportion of complaints relating to electrical consumer goods received by the trading standards authorities and the consumer safety unit concern goods imported from the eastern bloc, the Indian sub-continent and the far east, respectively.

Mr. Fletcher

No information is available on the proportion of complaints received by trading standards authorities and the consumer safety unit which involve imported electrical goods.

The evidence from recent successful prosecutions by the enforcement authorities shows that the great majority of consumer electrical goods found by the courts to be unsafe are imported, and that most of these imports are from the eastern bloc and the far east.

Trading standards authorities and the consumer safety unit have responsibility for the safety of electrical goods for use in the home. The safety of electrical goods for professional and workplace use is the responsibility of the Health and Safety Executive.