Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for making online marketplaces jointly and severally liable for products sold via their platforms.

The UK has strict laws that require that all consumer products must be safe before being placed on the UK market, either online or the high street.

The UK product regulator, the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS), has prioritised activities to target unsafe products sold by third party sellers online, including toys. Activities include checks on goods entering through borders, test purchasing and assessment of goods available online. OPSS is tackling the most serious cases by requiring recalls and takedowns and where necessary, taking enforcement action to prevent unsafe products from being made available to UK consumers. My colleague Minister Hollinrake and senior officials have held meetings with the major online marketplaces demanding they take more action to fulfil their responsibilities for supplying safe goods.

The Government is reviewing the product safety framework. Following its Call for Evidence, a consultation, including proposals to ensure that supply chain responsibilities are clear and concerns about the sale of unsafe products online are addressed, is being finalised and will be published shortly.