A Call for Evidence has been launched about the Product Regulation and Metrology Bill. Despite its unexciting name, the Bill promises a significant shake-up of the UK’s product safety and metrology regime such that manufacturers, retailers, importers and others will be closely monitoring its progress.

The Bill is a response to the fact that the UK’s existing product safety regime is derived from EU law, but has fallen behind as certain developments in the EU post-Brexit (such as the General Product Safety Regulation) do not apply to the UK.

It attempts to bring the UK’s regime up to date and ensure that, in the words of the Explanatory Notes, it is “better placed to address modern day safety issues”  and respond to “new product risks and opportunities to enable the UK to keep pace with technological advances, such as AI, and address issues such as incidents from ingesting button batteries and fire risks associated with e-bikes”.

To achieve this, the Bill envisages giving broad powers to the Secretary of State to establish regulations aimed at:

1. Reducing or mitigating risks presented by products;
2. Ensuring that products operate efficiently or effectively; and
3. Ensuring that products designed for weighing or measuring operate accurately.

The Bill also allows empowers the Secretary of State to determine when and whether the UK’s regime should align with, or diverge from, EU standards.

Those with “relevant expertise and experience or a special interest” in the Bill are encouraged to respond to the Call for Evidence before it is scrutinised by the Public Bill Committee in the middle of next month.

Responses should be submitted as soon as possible and ideally before the Committee first meets on 13 May 2025. To read the Call for Evidence, click here.