My Lords, I will speak to all the amendments in this group in the names of the noble Lord, Lord Foster of Bath, and the noble Baronesses, Lady Pinnock and Lady Finlay of Llandaff.
I turn first to Amendment 112 in the name of the noble Baroness, Lady Pinnock. She presented the case very clearly and eloquently; the headline from her contribution was that the amendment seeks to satisfy the Grenfell review and the Hackitt review. Testing and certification are important for product safety. Ultimately, they will save lives and ensure safer homes.
Amendment 117 is in the name of the noble Baroness, Lady Finlay, who made a very clear and economical argument on safety and why this amendment should be welcomed by the Government and all of us—was it £2 for the developers and owners of buildings to ensure the safety of their residents? The noble Baroness, Lady Pinnock, mentioned the very sad example of the young child in her constituency. We can save people’s lives by welcoming and adopting this amendment.
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I will focus in particular on Amendment 111 in the name of the noble Lord, Lord Foster of Bath. He painted the stark reality of the situation we face; in 2021, something like 31% of all fires in unsafe buildings were down to electrical faults. The noble Lord also said there had been a 20% increase in fires in high-rise buildings in the last two years, 50% of them caused by electrical safety problems.
We welcome this amendment. The noble Lord mentioned the charity Electrical Safety First; its chief executive Lesley Rudd said that the absence of vital laws governing online marketplaces posed
“one of the biggest risks to product safety in the UK”.
Since Brexit, the Office for Product Safety and Standards has been set up, but what new responsibilities has it undertaken in relation to faulty electrical goods and building safety?
Can the Minister say what actions have been taken in response to the report from the Public Accounts Committee, which has been mentioned, on the UK’s product safety regime? Does she agree that there is a gap in the law which means that digital giants such as Amazon and eBay are not responsible for the safety of items sold by third parties? If she does, what will the Government do about it?
What does the Minister have to say about these challenges? We have an unregulated marketplace for electrical goods. We have had severe cuts to enforcement bodies. We have also had an increase in online purchases. It is a perfect storm. Ultimately, how will the Minister ensure that dangerous products do not end up in people’s homes?