Sale of unsafe producté
Question No. 5
Reply by the Hon. N.W.H. Macleod, JP, Secretary for Trade and Industry,
ОВЕ,
to a question by the Hon. Mrs. Selina CHOW
in Legislative Council on 10 February 1988
5. MRS. CHOW asked:
Question
JP
Will Government inform this Council whether it has plans for the introduction of comprehensive legislative control over the sale of unsafe products which do not fall under categories controlled by existing legislation?
This reveals that the aim should be to complement existing legislation by providing a way of dealing with other products not already covered by specific legislation.
SECRETARY FOR TRADE
AND INDUSTRY:
Sir,
lesc
Sc
As Mrs. Chow rightly recognises, there is already
covering the sale of
legislation
products, such
as
that relating
potentially
unsafe
to poisons and
and agricultural
pharmaceutical goods, dangerous drugs,
pesticides.
Our policy has been to introduce further
specific legislation to cover new areas whenever it is
considered that there is a need to protect the public.
Nevertheless, I think it is now worth considering
some detail the merits of introducing more comprehensive
legislation on consumer safety - a change of emphasis which
Owes something to the
rational
but persistent pressure
from Mrs. Chow and the Consumer Council. The potential
advantage of such legislation would be that we would be
able to react more quickly to any new threat to safety.
At the same time. I should warn that this is a complicated
matter that does need careful study before we can say
definitely that such legislation should be introduced,
and if so in what form.
To take matters forward, I am pleased to announce
that an inter-departmental working committee has been set
up to examine the matter, and will hold its first meeting
later this month.