asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce the action he proposes to take to ensure that only approved types of regulators are issued with bottled gas appliances.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Bottled Gas Appliances.
7.
Bottled gas regulators in use in Ireland are all imported, and are manufactured to comply with standards approved in their respective countries of origin. Despite this, a recent investigation by the Institute for Industrial Research and Standards showed that individual regulators of one particular type were liable to deteriorate with time and to become unsafe whilst another type seemed to be liable to bad fitting. Very wide publicity has been given to this matter and a supplier of bottled gas has undertaken to replace all regulators of these types free of charge. I am satisfied that the action so far taken removes any immediate cause for concern, and I shall await a final report from the institute, when it has completed its investigations, before deciding whether statutory controls would be desirable.
Would the Minister consider having periodic checks carried out on those regulators? Will he take into account the fear generated by the publicity given in relation to the safety of these gas appliances?
The two fittings identified as, perhaps, not being as safe as they should be by the Institute for Industrial Research and Standards are being removed from use and from sale. The institute are preparing a further report for the Minister and when that is in the Minister's possession he will decide whether regulations or legislation are necessary.
Would the Minister agree that another company could import regulators? We need a stringent control on the type and quality of them?
Yes, but that is one of the points the institute will be advising the Minister on. He will be advised on the control and import as well as the sale and distribution of them.
Would the Minister tell the House the countries from which these appliances are imported?
The regulators in use here are mostly made in the UK, Italy, Germany and Denmark.