Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 July 2019
1011. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation if she will report on the EU directive on standards of sports equipment; the way in which it is implemented and supervised in Irish-owned companies; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33177/19]
View answerThere is no one overarching piece of EU legislation dealing with sports equipment but there are several different directives and regulations with which sports equipment may have to comply, depending on use. In this particular case, the relevant EU legislation is Regulation (EU) 2016/425 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 2016 on personal protective equipment and repealing Council Directive 89/686/EEC, which was implemented into Irish law by S.I. No. 136/2018.
According to S.I. No. 136/2018, economic operators (manufacturers, authorised representatives, importers or distributors) must not place sports equipment or products on the Irish market unless it complies with the safety requirements of the legislation. Where unsafe or dangerous products have been found to have been placed on the Irish market the relevant Irish market surveillance authorities (the Health and Safety Authority or the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, depending on the product in question) have the power to order economic operators to remove or destroy these products or to bring them into conformity with the legislation.
As investigations and enforcement matters generally are part of the day-to-day operational work of both the Health and Safety Authority and the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, I, as the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation have no direct function in the matter.
Should the Deputy have any information in relation to unsafe sports equipment on the Irish market, he should make contact with the Health and Safety Authority or the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission directly to provide any relevant information on these matters.
