asked the Minister for Industry, Trade, Commerce and Tourism if he is satisfied that the household electrical appliances offered for sale in this country are of a satisfactory standard from the safety point of view; and, if not, the action he proposes to take to ensure that purchasers of domestic electrical appliances are not exposed to risk or injury.
Written Answers. - Household Electrical Appliances.
540.
I am satisfied that, in general, electrical household appliances which are put on sale in this country are of a sufficiently high standard to ensure the safety of the user. I am aware, however, that a certain amount of unsafe electrical appliances have found their way onto the Irish market and, in an effort to eliminate the sale of these appliances, I have appointed a safety officer in my Department whose duties include the purchase of various items of electrical equipment throughout the country. These items are then submitted to the Institute for Industrial Research and Standards for testing for compliance with the relevant safety standard and, if they are found to be unsafe, the retailer in question is prosecuted.
Of course the Deputy will appreciate that insistence, in particular, by the consumer and the retailer on electrical appliances bearing standard safety marks would assist greatly in ensuring that dangerous domestic electric appliances are not sold in Ireland.