Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions his Department have had with Local Authority Trading Standards teams regarding enforcement activity against online sales of asbestos-containing products following the enactment of the Product Regulation and Metrology Act 2025.

The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) in my Department is coordinating the regulatory response to product safety concerns regarding asbestos, supporting Local Authorities who are leading regulatory activity with businesses in their areas, including those supplying online in line with its published incident management plan.

OPSS works with LAs providing tools they need to ensure businesses comply with the law and take necessary steps to keep the public safe, including briefing to local authorities on issues related to asbestos in sand, updates in weekly communications, and information materials and online resources to support their enforcement activity.