Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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553.To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will introduce regulations requiring the testing of metals in tampons by manufacturers. [31600/24]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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My Department recognises the importance of ensuring that products placed on the market are safe.

Tampons and sanitary pads fall under the scope of the General Product Safety Directive 2001/95/EC1 as transposed into Irish law by S.I. No. 199/2004.

These Regulations oblige producers to place only safe products on the market and producers must ensure that products are safe and provide consumers with the relevant information to enable them to assess the risks that are inherent in a product and to take precautions against those risks. The Regulations provide that, in the absence of applicable European standards or standards at national level in relation to particular product, codes of good practice in force in the sector concerned shall be considered to assess the safety of a product. The Code sets out producers are to provide consumers with standardised health-related information, such as reference to the toxic shock syndrome risk on the packaging, and with more detailed information and guidance in the instructions for use.

With the forthcoming General Product Safety Regulation, which replaces the General Product Safety Directive, the regulatory framework for non-harmonised consumer goods, such as female sanitary products, will be significantly strengthened.

If a consumer has concerns around the safety of tampons and sanitary pads, then they can contact the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) who are the competent authority with responsibility for products, such as tampons and sanitary pads, that come under the General Product Safety Directive. The CCPC will investigate the concerns and if warranted take appropriate action.

In addition, COMMISSION DECISION (EU) 2023/1809 of 14 September 2023 establishing the EU Ecolabel criteria for absorbent hygiene products and for reusable menstrual cups in 2020, sets out limit values for of a list of chemicals/ metals before such products can be awarded EU Ecolabel.