Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how compliance with the UN Global Harmonised System of classifying and labelling chemical processes will be regulated after the UK leaves the EU.

The UN Globally Harmonised System for the classification and labelling of hazardous chemicals (GHS) is a voluntary agreement and does not itself have legal force. Presently it is given legal effect in the UK by the directly acting European Regulation (No.1272/2008) on classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures – the CLP Regulation.

The Health and Safety Executive is working closely with the Department for Exiting the European Union to understand the impacts that withdrawal from the EU will have on businesses, consumers and other economic actors. Only once that analysis is complete will we be able to take an informed decision on what is best for the UK and that includes looking at options for maintaining consistency with the GHS.