Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department has taken to ensure that (a) alignment with EU standards and (b) the highest safety standards are maintained on chemical regulation when importing toxic chemicals.

The reforms set out in the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) consultation on Chemicals Legislative Reform proposals aim to give HSE greater flexibility and scope to make necessary or appropriate regulatory decisions in Great Britain (GB) at pace with international partners, including the European Union (EU) and rest of the world where appropriate. The proposals are intended to maintain current levels of protection for people and the environment from harmful chemicals and are therefore not expected to impact on the UK’s compliance with the Trade and Co-operation Agreement. Part of this consultation delivered the commitment made in the Regulatory Action Plan (RAP) on how international approvals can be recognised to reduce the time and cost to bring chemicals products, including biocides, to the GB market.

The proposals include a new system to recognize international approvals from "trusted jurisdictions" where the regulatory standards are "similar to and at least as high as" those in GB. This is likely to include the EU given the similarity in the regulatory standards. The proposals are intended to remove the duplicative processes and associated evaluation costs.

A key safeguard is that the Secretary of State with responsibility for HSE would retain the power to refuse an approval from a trusted jurisdiction if it is deemed "harmful to GB interests," such as for the protection of public health or the environment.

No decisions have been made as HSE is currently analysing the consultation responses, following closure of the recent consultation on 18 August, and any changes will be subject to parliamentary approval.