§ Sir John FarrTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) what steps he is taking to ensure in the successor regime to the Trade Descriptions Act 1972 that goods sold under a British brand name or one which purports to be will still be required to bear a clear indication of the country of origin, if those goods are not made in Britain;
(2) if he will give a progress report on the successor regime to the Trade Descriptions Act 1972 relating to origin labelling.
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§ Mr. ButcherMy Department has consulted widely on a draft order under section 8 of the Trade Descriptions Act 1968 to provide for a successor regime to the Trade Descriptions Act 1972. The responses to the consultations exercise are currently being analysed.
The proposed order is intended to supplement the existing prohibition (under the Trade Descriptions Act 1968) of misleading indications of the place of manufacture of goods. It would require an indication of the place of production to be given where goods are presented in a way which would otherwise be likely to mislead prospective purchasers about where the goods were produced. Although as the proposed order currently stands the fact that a particular language or trade mark was used in the presentation of goods would not in itself require such origin marking, it would be required if the trade mark or use of language appeared to suggest that the goods were made in a particular place but they were not in fact made there.