William Buchanan

Dear , Thank you for sending me a copy of your Prevention of Future Deaths Report dated 9th Febru­ ary following the inquest into the tragic death of William Buchanan. Please accept my apolo­ gies in the delay to my response. I am responding on behalf of the Government, and I would be grateful if you could pass on my condolences to the family of Mr William Buchanan, if you have the opportunity to do so. While it appears there is not a product fault/failure in this circumstance, I have set out below the product safety requirements which are pertinent to the issue you raised. The Government's top priority is to keep people safe, which is why goods sold in the UK must meet some of the strictest safety laws in the world. We have in place a product safety regime that establishes what is expected of manufacturers and retailers in relation to the products they make available on the market. The product safety of mobility scooters falls under the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regula­ tions 2008. The regulations place obligations on manufacturers to satisfy the essential health and safety requirements before products are placed on the market and they must also provide consumers with the necessary information and instructions to operate the product safely. Both local trading standards and the Health and Safety Executive enforce the provisions of the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008 to ensure faulty products are removed from the market. The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2005 also ensure that any market­ ing literature that advertises or is supplied with the product should not be misleading. Additional support for those with disabilities and/or the elderly is available through the Depart­ ment for Transport supported registered charity, Driving Mobility. The charity provides profes­ sional information and assessment to disabled and elderly people allowing them to gain or re­ tain their independence. I hope this response reassures you that the product safety regime already provides consumers with an appropriate level of protection against unsafe products and seeks to ensure that consumers have the information they need to operate/use products safely. Due to the provisions already in place and limited evidence we have it would be disproportionate to place an obligation on individuals to undertake an assessment before purchasing specific products. I

therefore propose that no further action is taken in response to the issues you raise in your report.