§ Malcolm BruceTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people have(a) died and (b) been injured due to faulty or dangerous consumer goods in each year since 1994, stating the (i) product and (ii) manufacturer or retailer in each instance and (iii) the action taken by her Department. [169167]
§ Mr. Sutcliffe[holding answer 28 April 2004]: Home accident data do not distinguish unsafe products as such, nor the manufacturer or retailer of the products involved. However, research commissioned by the Department on a sample of 11,998 accidents in four 1635W separate years during the 1990s which included follow-up interviews with accident victims found that only 1.6 per cent. of fatal home accidents, 0.4 per cent. of serious injuries and 0.6 per cent. of minor injuries could be attributed solely to a fault with a product, including older products that had not been maintained or serviced properly or which had been used in a damaged condition. This represents approximately 60–70 home accidental deaths and 15,000.