The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has released the Government response to the Retail and Manufacturing Consultation. The majority of respondents agreed with revocation of the regulations in the consultation document. We received some general comments on perceived limitations of the General Product Safety Regulations (GPSR). These are addressed in the Government response.
The Government now intends to reduce regulation identified through the Red Tape Challenge by revoking the majority of the regulations detailed in the consultation document. Whilst the regulations may have been effective at prohibiting the problems they were designed to tackle, they are not flexible enough to deal with new products or practices and have become outdated.
Consumers will continue to be protected by updated laws providing a comparable degree of protection.
The following 13 measures will be revoked through 2 statutory instruments:
- Bunk Beds (Entrapment Hazards) (Safety) Regulations 1987
- Children’s Clothing (Hood Cords) Regulations 1976
- Imitation Dummies (Safety) Regulations 1993
- Wheeled Child Conveyances (Safety) Regulations 1997
- Gas cooking Appliances (Safety) Regulations 1989
- Heating Appliances (Fireguards) (Safety) Regulations 1991
- Gas Catalytic Heaters (Safety) Regulations 1984
- All-Terrain Motor Vehicle (Safety) Regulations 1989
- Cooking Utensils (Safety) Regulations 1972
- Indication of Prices (Beds) Order 1978
- Child Resistant Packaging and Tactile Danger Warning (Safety) (Revocation) Regulations 1992
- Stands for Carry-cots (Safety) (Revocation) Regulations 1996
- Magnetic Toys (Safety) (Revocations) Regulations 2009
These regulations were also included in the consultation and we received detailed responses from several stakeholders. They are currently being looked at in more detail and a second Government response will follow in due course:
- Pyrotechnic Articles (Safety) Regulations 2010
- Pencils and Graphic Instruments (Safety) Regulations 1998