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The Government will publish in the Gazette on Friday (December 11) the Toys and Children's Products Safety (Amendment) Bill 2009, which aims to update the safety standards for toys and children's products listed in the Toys and Children's Products Safety Ordinance (Cap. 424).
Hong Kong adopts a multiple safety standards regime for toys and children's products, i.e. more than one safety standard, usually international safety standards or standards adopted by major economies, are stipulated. A toy or children's product is regarded as safe if it complies with any one of the relevant standards. This regime not only ensures that the level of safety accorded to children is on a par with that in advanced economies, but also avoids the costs of establishing a separate set of standards for the Hong Kong market.
The bill seeks to align the standards listed in the ordinance with the most up-to-date, operative standards promulgated by the standards institutions.
Apart from updates to the standards, the bill also seeks to improve the mechanism for updating the safety standards for toys by putting them in a schedule to the ordinance so that future changes can be effected by way of subsidiary legislation.
The Government has consulted major trade organisations, organisations advocating children welfare and the Legislative Council Panel on Economic Development on the proposals. The submissions received are supportive of the proposed amendments.
The bill will be introduced into the Legislative Council on December 16.
Ends/Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Issued at HKT 14:32
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