3rd Report - The safety of Electrical Goods in the UK

Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.

The government welcomes the inquiry and points to the new Office for Product Safety and Standards as its main response, accepting some conclusions while setting out a different position on others, including publication of risk assessments.

• On national co-ordination, it "accepts the need for effective co-ordination on the sharing of information and the setting of priorities at a national level", and says the new Office for Product Safety and Standards, announced on 21 January 2018, is its response.
• On publishing manufacturers' risk assessments, it notes that its expert Working Group "did not conclude that making risk assessments available would meet that need". It says it will "keep this issue under review" and provide guidance to regulators on what to publish.
• On Whirlpool tumble dryers, it reports reassurance that an engineer can attend within two weeks. Ministers "will meet with the General Manager of Whirlpool UK", and the Office will make a further call to consumers.
• On a single recalls portal, it anticipates the first release of its data service "by the end of 2018 with full public access in 2019". Automatic registration of appliances will be "considered in more depth" by the Office.

Read the government's response ↗ Report an error