§ Mr. HawksleyTo ask the President of the Board of Trade whether, if a product passses the relevant European standard under the personal protective equipment directive, the product automatically complies with the directive even if the committee working on the standard has widened the scope for more products to be exempt.
§ Mr. SainsburyThe personal protective equipment directive (89/686/EEC) lays down certain requirements and specifies categories of equipment to which they apply. The relevant European standards-making body is drawing up standards for manufacturers to follow, as part of compliance procedures. The scope of the directive cannot be altered by the technical committee drawing on these standards, but only by the EC Council.