§ Mr. Simsasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many consumer safety complaints in respect of imported goods have been made by trading standards officers in the last 12 months; how the figure compares with previous 12-month periods; and to what extent such complaints relate to specific types of goods and to specific countries of origin.
§ Mr. FletcherThis information is not kept centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Consumer safety complaints are made in the first instance to trading standards officers who pass them on to my Department only if the goods concerned cannot be dealt with under the powers already available to TSOs, or if the case raises questions of policy. Of the total number of consumer safety complaints made to TSOs, a significant proportion relate to imported goods; a recent survey by TSOs in the Midlands suggested that this might be as much as 80 per cent.