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Written Question
Living Wage
Thursday 21st July 2022

Asked by: Carolyn Harris (Labour - Swansea East)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department is taking steps to implement the recommendations of the report by the Low Pay Commission entitled, The National Living Wage Review (2015-2020), published on 18 May 2022.

Answered by Jane Hunt

We welcome the publication of the Low Pay Commission’s review. We would like to thank them for their continued excellent work and look forward to receiving their recommendations in the Autumn for minimum wage rates to apply from April 2023.


Written Question
Cosmetics: Hydrogen Peroxide
Tuesday 15th June 2021

Asked by: Carolyn Harris (Labour - Swansea East)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to prevent the selling by online marketplaces of teeth whiteners which exceed the legal amount of hydrogen peroxide permitted for home use.

Answered by Paul Scully

Cosmetic products such as teeth whitening kits sold in the UK must meet some of the strictest safety requirements in the world and may only be placed on the market if they meet strict safety requirements, including specific restrictions on the use of potentially harmful chemicals such as hydrogen peroxide.

The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) works with colleagues in local Trading Standards to take effective enforcement action where products are identified online that do not meet the UK’s product safety requirements and expects online platforms to act quickly to remove them from sale.

Through its Call for Evidence, OPSS is reviewing the UK’s product safety framework to ensure it is fit for purpose, protects consumers, and enables businesses to safely innovate and grow. The implications of non-traditional models of supply, including e-commerce, and how it has changed the way products are distributed, forms of part of the review.


Written Question
Cosmetics: Safety
Tuesday 15th June 2021

Asked by: Carolyn Harris (Labour - Swansea East)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to ensure online marketplaces are preventing unsafe cosmetic products from being listed and sold on their sites.

Answered by Paul Scully

Cosmetic products available on the UK market must meet strict safety requirements and the Government is committed to ensuring that only safe cosmetic products can be sold in the UK. Furthermore, there must be a Responsible Person established in the UK who is responsible for ensuring the cosmetic product is safe.

The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) is engaged with online marketplaces to ensure that they are playing their part in protecting UK consumers from unsafe products. OPSS works with colleagues in local Trading Standards to take effective enforcement action where products are identified online that do not meet the UK’s product safety requirements and expects online platforms to act quickly to remove them from sale.


Written Question
Consumer Goods: Safety
Tuesday 15th June 2021

Asked by: Carolyn Harris (Labour - Swansea East)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps Trading Standards has taken in the last five years against (a) sellers of unsafe products on online marketplaces and (b) online marketplaces that have sold unsafe products on their sites.

Answered by Paul Scully

The Government is committed to ensuring that only safe consumer products can be sold in the UK. Product safety legislation places obligations on manufacturers, importers and distributors and this includes online retailers selling goods via marketplaces.

The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) works with colleagues in local Trading Standards to take effective action where products are identified online that do not meet the UK’s product safety requirements and expects online platforms to act quickly to remove them from sale. This has recently included action taken to ensure that a number of non-compliant products, including toys, electrical equipment and high-risk products such as pool heaters and balcony barbecues being sold by third-party sellers have been removed from sale, delisted, recalled or destroyed.

Where criminal offences are identified, both Trading Standards and OPSS can conduct criminal investigations into the actions of economic operators.

OPSS is taking forward a programme of work to ensure that major online marketplaces are playing their part to protect UK consumers from unsafe goods.

This includes developing a new voluntary commitment for online marketplaces to agree further actions they will take to reduce the risks from unsafe products being sold online.

OPSS is also encouraging online marketplaces to establish Primary Authority arrangements with local Trading Standards authorities. These agreements enable one authority to work with each business providing expert and tailored advice as to how they should meet their legal obligations.

OPSS is reviewing the UK’s product safety framework to ensure that we have a framework that continues to deliver safety for consumers while supporting businesses to safely innovate and grow and will consider non-traditional business models, including online sales.


Written Question
Consumer Goods: Safety
Tuesday 15th June 2021

Asked by: Carolyn Harris (Labour - Swansea East)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Office for Product Safety and Standards is taking to tackle (a) sellers of unsafe products on online marketplaces and (b) online marketplaces in respect of the sale of unsafe products.

Answered by Paul Scully

The Government is committed to ensuring that only safe consumer products can be sold in the UK. Product safety legislation places obligations on manufacturers, importers and distributors and this includes online retailers selling goods via marketplaces.

The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) works with colleagues in local Trading Standards to take effective action where products are identified online that do not meet the UK’s product safety requirements and expects online platforms to act quickly to remove them from sale. This has recently included action taken to ensure that a number of non-compliant products, including toys, electrical equipment and high-risk products such as pool heaters and balcony barbecues being sold by third-party sellers have been removed from sale, delisted, recalled or destroyed.

Where criminal offences are identified, both Trading Standards and OPSS can conduct criminal investigations into the actions of economic operators.

OPSS is taking forward a programme of work to ensure that major online marketplaces are playing their part to protect UK consumers from unsafe goods.

This includes developing a new voluntary commitment for online marketplaces to agree further actions they will take to reduce the risks from unsafe products being sold online.

OPSS is also encouraging online marketplaces to establish Primary Authority arrangements with local Trading Standards authorities. These agreements enable one authority to work with each business providing expert and tailored advice as to how they should meet their legal obligations.

OPSS is reviewing the UK’s product safety framework to ensure that we have a framework that continues to deliver safety for consumers while supporting businesses to safely innovate and grow and will consider non-traditional business models, including online sales.


Written Question
Weddings: Coronavirus
Monday 8th March 2021

Asked by: Carolyn Harris (Labour - Swansea East)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that representatives from all sectors of the wedding industry were consulted in the covid-19 reopening plans for that industry.

Answered by Paul Scully

I meet regularly with the industry-led UK Weddings Taskforce, established to represent all parts of the UK Weddings sector [in England], and have received representations from it on the reopening of the wedding receptions and celebrations sector.

In the 'COVID-19 Response - Spring 2021', the Government has set out how it will continue to protect and support citizens across the UK and has provided a roadmap out of the current lockdown in England. This includes a staged return of weddings and civil partnerships: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-response-spring-2021/covid-19-response-spring-2021.


Written Question
Weddings: Coronavirus
Monday 8th March 2021

Asked by: Carolyn Harris (Labour - Swansea East)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate his Department has made of potential job losses in the wedding industry without additional covid-19 financial support as the sector operates at restricted capacity until 21 June 2021.

Answered by Paul Scully

I meet regularly with the industry-led Weddings Taskforce, established to represent a wide range of interests in the weddings sector [in England], to understand the impact of the pandemic on jobs and businesses.

Over the course of the pandemic the Government has provided an unprecedented package of financial support to businesses, including those in the wedding industry, which we keep under regular review. The Chancellor announced in his Budget a raft of new measures to further support businesses, including those in the wedding industry. These include:

  • Extension of the Coronavirus Job Support Scheme to the end of September 2021.
  • £5 billion for new Restart Grants.
  • The Government is also providing all Local Authorities in England with an additional £425 million of discretionary business grant funding, on top of the £1.6 billion already allocated.
  • Eligible businesses in hospitality sector will benefit from business rates relief worth over £6 billion in 2021 to 2022.

Written Question
Weddings: Coronavirus
Monday 1st March 2021

Asked by: Carolyn Harris (Labour - Swansea East)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that wedding (a) venues and (b) suppliers are supported during the third covid-19 lockdown.

Answered by Paul Scully

I meet regularly with the industry-led Weddings Taskforce to understand the impact of COVID-19 on businesses and in both the venue and supply chain sector.

We have provided an unprecedented package of financial support since March 2020 to businesses, including those in the weddings sector. We keep this regularly under review, through discussions with HM Treasury.


Written Question
Weddings: Coronavirus
Wednesday 17th February 2021

Asked by: Carolyn Harris (Labour - Swansea East)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment has been made of the effect the number of guests allowed to attend weddings when the sector reopens will have on the sector's financial viability.

Answered by Paul Scully

I meet regularly with the industry-led Weddings Taskforce to understand the impact of COVID-19 on wedding businesses and jobs in the sector.

As my Rt Hon friend the Prime Minister has said, we intend to publish our plan for taking the country out of lockdown in the last week of February.


Written Question
Weddings: Coronavirus
Tuesday 16th February 2021

Asked by: Carolyn Harris (Labour - Swansea East)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he made of the effect on women of job losses in the wedding industry due to the covid-19 outbreak.

Answered by Paul Scully

I meet regularly with the industry-led Weddings Taskforce, established to represent all parts of the UK Weddings sector, to understand the impact of COVID-19 on wedding businesses and jobs in the sector.