§ Mr. Andrew TurnerTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the rates averaged over the three years used for the purpose of formulating the assisted areas map were for(a) the Isle of Wight, (b) the Isle of Thanet, (c) England and (d) the United Kingdom of (i) employment, (ii) residence-based unemployment, (iii) workforce-based unemployment and (iv) manufacturing employment share; and what the standard deviation was for each of the purposes of the European Commission's regional aid guidelines. [51004]
§ Alan Johnson[holding answer 18 April 2002]: The following figures were calculated for the purposes of the regional aid guidelines:
her Department and the Food Standards Agency to undertake a risk assessment of toys embedded in foodstuff items. [45764]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonI have no plans to do so. Research commissioned by my Department provided no evidence to suggest that toys marketed with foodstuffs pose a greater risk to children than other small toys. The European Commission has also looked at this issue and reached the same conclusion.
§ Ms WalleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures she has taken to encourage retailers to make an assessment of the risk of toys embedded in foodstuff items. [45763]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonIt is for suppliers—manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers—to take appropriate measures, within the limits of their activities, to ensure that the products they supply to consumers are safe. Risk assessments are generally carried out by the manufacturer of the final product.
All toys supplied in the UK must satisfy the essential safety requirements of the Toys (Safety) Regulations 1995 which implement the European Directive on the safety of toys. The Directive is under review and we will give 1203W careful consideration to any proposals put forward regarding toys supplied with foodstuffs and warning labels.