§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will require coal merchants selling petroleum coke to issue to all purchasers pamphlets on the dangers of the fuel.
§ Mr. McLoughlinSection 10—the general safety requirement—of the Consumer Protection Act 1987 already makes it an offence to supply consumer goods which are not reasonably safe, having regard to all the circumstances. These circumstances include the manner in which the goods are marketed and any instructions or warnings given with the goods concerning their use. Accordingly, my Department has advised known suppliers of petroleum coke that failure to provide consumers with written instructions about the safe use of this fuel and the precautions that should be taken could render themselves liable to prosecution under section 10 of the Act.
My Department has also notified local authority trading standards departments, which are responsible for the day-to-day enforcement of the safety provisions of the Act, of this advice.