Thank you for contacting me about the regulation of online marketplaces.
I am familiar with Electrical Safety First's campaign for better regulation of online marketplaces. As you will know, the UK has a strong product safety system to ensure products are safe before they can enter the market, and this includes products sold online.
I understand your concerns regarding this issue. I welcome the UK Government working alongside the industry and with law enforcement colleagues on a number of initiatives to tackle this issue. You may also welcome the fact that officials in the UK government are working with representatives from online platforms to discuss counterfeits on their platforms. Action is also underway to ensure a co-ordinated law enforcement response against the sellers of these counterfeits.
In addition to this action, the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) reviewed product safety legislation to make sure the existing legislative framework is adequate. This is due to changes to traditional supply and distribution chains as a result of e-commerce. The UK Government has analysed submissions the OPSS Call for Evidence and the response can be read in full here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uplo…
I welcome that the UK Government has announced it will now consult on a landmark reform programme, with priorities including helping businesses to understand their legal obligations by ensuring our future framework is as simple, consistent, and risk proportionate as possible. Ministers will also examine how product safety processes and testing requirements could become more risk based, addressing the impact of the changes brought by e-Commerce to the product safety framework.
Thank you again for contacting me.