§ Malcolm BruceTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) how many consumer product recalls there were in each year since 1994, broken down by(a) item, (b) manufacturer or retailer, (c) product category, (d) cause of recall and (e) cost of product; [168977]
(2) how many product recalls in each year since 1994 were a result of (a) customer complaints to (i) manufacturers, (ii) trading standards and (iii) other, (b) accidents to consumers, (c) manufacturers' or retailers' decisions other than in the circumstances of (a) and (b) and (d) other circumstances; [168978]
(3) what estimate she has made of (a) the number of companies with recall policies and (b) the cost to business of recalling a product. [168979]
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§ Mr. SutcliffeThis information has not been collected on a regular basis. However research commissioned by my Department into product recall (URN 99/125) estimated that in the period 1990 to 1996 there was an average of 42 consumer product recalls per annum. Over the period electrical goods accounted for 47 per cent. of recalls, non-electrical toys 17 per cent, childcare articles seven per cent., clothing seven per cent., houseware four per cent., furniture four per cent., gas appliances three per cent., personal care products three per cent. and others nine per cent. The main hazards for which recalls were made were electrical 25per cent, choking 15 per cent., fire/overheating 15 per cent., loosening or collapse 13 per cent., fracture nine per cent., electric shock six per cent., sharp object four per cent. and others 14 per cent. There is no corresponding information available about the names of the manufacturers or retailers involved or on the cost of the product.
Customer complaints were the main trigger for 71 per cent. of product recalls, while eight per cent. resulted from contacts made by trading standards officers following complaints made to them by consumers.
The research also shows that two thirds of the companies interviewed had recall policies.
§ Malcolm BruceTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on(a) the effectiveness of product recalls and (b) what her Department is doing to increase that effectiveness. [168980]
§ Mr. SutcliffeThe effectiveness of a product recall depends on a number of factors including the type of product, its value and the way in which the recall is communicated to consumers. In November 1999 the Department, in conjunction with the Confederation of British Industry and the British Retail Consortium, published a guide ("Consumer Product Recall—A Good Practice Guide" URN 99/1172) aimed at helping businesses take prompt action to recall unsafe products from consumers.
§ Malcolm BruceTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many companies have been(a) investigated for manufacturing or selling unsafe products and (b) prosecuted since 1994; if she will state the (i) manufacturer or retailer and (ii) product in each instance; and how many companies have been prosecuted for failing to withdraw a product, stating the (A) manufacturer or retailer and (B) product in each instance, since 1994. [169148]
§ Mr. SutcliffeThe number of prosecutions for breaches of consumer product safety legislation in the period 1 April 1993 to 31 March 2003 totalled 2,1841.
Further information could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost by polling each of the 220 individual local authority trading standards departments.
1Source:
Consumer Safety Reports laid under S42 of the Consumer Protection Act 1987.
§ Malcolm BruceTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on implementation of the General Product Safety Directive. [169150]
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§ Mr. SutcliffeThe Department is in the process of transposing the General Product Safety Directive 2001. This is a difficult process, which we need to get right. It is taking time because of the complexity of some of the new provisions, especially the wording of the last resort power to order product recall. Here we are seeking to ensure that the provision is implemented in a way that is responsive to the needs of consumers while remaining balanced and proportionate to the risk. There have also been delays at the European Commission in providing guidance to support some important practical aspects of the Directive.
§ Malcolm BruceTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on how many occasions since 1994 a manufacturer has appealed against a decision to recall a product; and in each instance if she will state the(a) outcome and (b) costs to her Department. [169151]
§ Mr. SutcliffeRecalls in the UK are currently undertaken on a voluntary basis, so the decision whether to recall a product is one for the manufacturer or distributor. The legislation that transposes the revised General Product Safety Directive (2001 /95/EC) will introduce a mandatory recall power in the UK for the first time. Following transposition producers will continue to be encouraged to act voluntarily where necessary. There are already powers for enforcement authorities to require companies to withdraw unsafe products from sale.
§ Malcolm BruceTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on what occasions her Department has(a) given information to other countries regarding a product being recalled in the UK, stating the (i) product, (ii) manufacturer or retailer and (iii) the countries notified and (b) received information from other countries regarding a product recall, stating the (A) product, (B) manufacturer or retailer and (C) action taken by her Department. [169152]
§ Mr. SutcliffeThere are no historic records available on when and whether the UK has notified other countries of a voluntary recall undertaken by producers here or of recalls undertaken overseas and notified to us. However since January 2004 when the revised GPSD (2001/95) requires notification of both voluntary and compulsory measures the UK has received one notification from Germany about a voluntary recall. This concerned a children's jigsaw puzzle presenting a choking hazard. The Department has circulated the alert to the local authority trading standards departments.