Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the Second Special Report of the Environmental Audit Committee of Session 2017–19 on Toxic Chemicals in Everyday Life: Government Response to the Committee's Twentieth Report of Session 2017–19, HC160, published on 30 October 2019, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of chemical flame-retardant use in furniture filling materials on (a) health, (b) environmental wellbeing and (c) fire safety.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government has consulted on a new approach to the fire safety of domestic upholstered furniture and will set out its response in due course. The consultation included proposals to encourage and enable a reduction in the use of chemical flame retardants reflecting commitments made in the Government’s response to the Environmental Audit Committee’s 2019 report. Where flame retardants are used to meet the fire safety requirements, they must be compliant with all relevant UK chemicals regulations, including UK REACH.
Mentions:
1: Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab - Life peer) researchers and industries were expected to move quickly, for example to reduce reliance purely on chemicals - Speech Link
2: Lord Harlech (Con - Excepted Hereditary) the targets agreed in the Kunming-Montreal global biodiversity framework and the global framework for chemicals - Speech Link
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make it his policy to revoke licences for testing cosmetics ingredients on animals issued between 2019 and 2022.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
The Home Secretary’s written statement of 17 May 2023 announced a ban on new licences for animal testing of chemicals used exclusively as cosmetics ingredients, carried out under chemicals (REACH) regulations for the purpose of worker and environmental safety.
The Home Office has completed its review of existing ‘legacy’ licences and has engaged with the relevant companies. I can confirm that, in Great Britain, no animal testing is being conducted, nor will any testing be authorised, of chemicals that are exclusively intended to be used as ingredients in cosmetics products.
Apr. 03 2024
Source Page: Interim position on the safety of hydroxyanthracene derivatives for use in foodFound: the safety of hydroxyanthracene derivatives for use in food by the Committee on Carcinogenicity of Chemicals
Mentions:
1: Lord Johnson of Lainston (Con - Life peer) electricity costs down for the most energy-intensive and trade-intensive industries—such as steel, chemicals - Speech Link
2: Earl Russell (LD - Excepted Hereditary) manufacturing, as well as other areas including critical national infrastructures such as steel and chemicals—more - Speech Link
Nov. 29 2023
Source Page: Supply, Use and Input-Output Tables: 1998-2020Found: chemicals0.91461389662245421.67678970924940352.5914036058718577141.8870340282854693.2921303596643235.17916438794975237.7705679938216199820ACInorganic chemicals
Written Evidence Apr. 25 2024
Committee: Environmental Audit CommitteeFound: expertise to provide advice to Government to help it achieve its ambitions, whether regulating chemicals
Asked by: Judith Cummins (Labour - Bradford South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of reducing fees for UK Regulation, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The current UK REACH fee structure was carried across from EU REACH using Withdrawal Act powers and given legal effect in secondary legislation. Work is underway to review our approach to this fee structure
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will take action to prevent the unnecessary use of additives and antimicrobial substances in period products claiming ‘anti-odour’ or ‘antimicrobial’ properties.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK has a comprehensive regulatory framework in place to ensure products are safe before they are placed on the market. Period products, including period pants and menstrual cups, are regulated by the General Product Safety Regulations 2005. This provides a baseline of safety for applicable products, requiring that only safe products, in their normal or reasonably foreseeable use, can be placed on the market. The law places obligations on producers, manufacturers, importers and distributors to ensure consumers are provided with safety information, including instructions for safe use. This includes risks that are not immediately obvious to consumers without adequate warnings, such as the use of additives and antimicrobial substances and the presence of silver in these products.
Period products are not classed as biocidal products under the GB Biocidal Products Regulation but are instead articles which contain or are treated with a biocidal product (such as a silver compound). A number of silver active substances are currently waiting to be assessed for safety and efficacy as biocides under the GB review programme of existing active substances. While this is the case they can be legally used in treated articles including period products.
Defra continues to monitor research on chemicals in period products as part of the UK REACH Work Programme, working closely with the Health and Safety Executive and the Environment Agency. This ongoing work covers all risks, including those relating to aquatic life. Studies carried out in the EU found that the chemicals identified in these products were present only in low concentrations, with no evidence of significant risks to human health.
Feb. 28 2011
Source Page: Dataset from the Environment Agency's central database on marine pollution covering 2009-2010. 4 p.Found: MaterialsAccidental SpillageMOD SubmarineSouth-West747150.0Teesport40199.02916666667Category 3 (Minor)Organic Chemicals