Committees

Protecting consumers from unsafe products

Inquiry

The Office for Product Safety & Standards (OPSS) was created in 2018 to regulate the safety of consumer products and goods - other than food - at a national level.

Set up as an agency of the Business department (BEIS), OPSS works with other organisations to protect consumers from harm, including with the local authority Trading Standards services that undertake most enforcement activity.

The Committee will question the senior responsible officials at BEIS on whether the OPSS and the overall product safety regime effectively protect UK consumers from harm, and can keep pace with changes like new international trading relationships and consumers increasingly buying goods online.

If you have evidence on questions of:

  • whether product safety regulation is successfully influencing consumers, businesses and other stakeholders to prevent product safety risks from materialising;
  • whether  the OPSS and Trading Standards services can identify and address safety issues quickly when they arise, to minimise harm to consumers;
  • or whether the regulatory framework is able to adapt to social, political and technological changes and protect consumers from emerging product safety risks,

- please submit it here by 6pm pm on Thursday 24 June 2021.

Reports, special reports and government responses

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Nineteenth Report - Protecting consumers from unsafe products
Inquiry Protecting consumers from unsafe products
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HC 180
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Response to this report
Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Nineteenth report from Session 2021-22
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HC 180
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Correspondence

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Correspondence from Graham Russell, Chief Executive, Office for Product Safety and Standards, dated Protecting consumers from unsafe products, dated 27 July 2021
Inquiry Protecting consumers from unsafe products
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Correspondence

Oral evidence transcripts

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1 July 2021
Inquiry Protecting consumers from unsafe products
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Oral Evidence

Written evidence

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Which? (PCP0001)
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Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (PCP0002)
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London Fire Brigade (PCP0003)
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Other publications

Government Responses
The Government has undertaken to respond to most committee reports within two months, although there are exceptions to this rule.
1 published

Contact us

  • Email: pubaccom@parliament.uk
  • Phone: 020 7219 8480 (strictly media enquiries only – contact us via our email for general enquiries)
  • Address: Public Accounts Committee, House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA