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provisions governing the sale and supply of dangerous drugs
by licence. The Agricultural Pesticides Ordinance contains
provisions covering the sale and supply of agricultural
pesticides by licence and for the labelling of registered
agricultural pesticides on retail sale. There are also
some provisions under the Antibiotics Ordinance, the Radiation
Ordinance and the Public Health and Urban Services Ordinance
which may be considered relevant to the issue.
4.
While I am not aware of any comprehensive plan
to tighten up the control measures under these various
Ordinances in the immediate future, the Government is fully
aware of the need to promote safety practices at home.
Many household products, irrespective of whether they contain
toxic substances as such, can cause injury or harm if they
are used carelessly or in an inappropriate manner. The
Consumer Council, through its regular programme of product
testing and subsequent disclosure of unsafe aspects relating
to these products or their use, has made very useful contri-
butions in alerting the public's awareness. For its part
the Government is running a major publicity campaign
encompassing many aspects of safety in the home, including
the locking up of drugs and ensuring that dangerous objects
are kept out of children's reach. Provision has again been
included in the 1987/8 draft Estimates for a major publicity
campaign to be undertaken by the Government on safety in
the home.