§ Mr. Greenwayasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will ban the import from Korea and other countries of riding hats which do not conform to British Standards Institution approved safety standards; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ChannonHats manufactured to the new British standard on riding hats (BS 6473) have been available for the last few months. The equestrian societies are recommending to their members that they buy hats to the new standard. I think in this case that the involvement of interested bodies is the best way of promoting improved safety. The Department will be taking steps to reinforce this publicity. In the circumstances, I see no need for legislation at present.
Under the general safety duty proposed in last July's White Paper on the Safety of Goods (Cmnd. 9302), the supply of riding hats that do not conform to BS 6473 may well become illegal, since the Secretary of State could approve that standard as satisfying the general duty. The clear implication of such an approval would be that riding hats offering less protection were unsafe in relation to sound modern standards of safety.