Tony Killeen (Clare, Fianna Fail)

Amendments Nos. 47 and 50 introduce new provisions in the area of product safety. They will make it an offence to distribute, sell, offer for sale or supply a product that is the subject of a direction by the agency prohibiting the placing of that product on the market, requiring the withdrawal of the product from the market or imposing other restrictions on placing the product on the market. Any such direction can be issued by the agency under a range of statutory instruments which govern general and specific product safety, as set out in Schedule 7. The statutory instruments transpose EU Council directives relating to product safety, as set out in Schedule 8. The amendments will add to the agency's enforcement powers in the area of product safety, thereby helping to ensure that consumers can have greater confidence in the safety of the products they buy.