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| Government to strengthen consumer protection framework to deal with unsafe products, replacement of faulty items |
| 8 Mar 2010 |
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The government will strengthen the consumer protection framework here to deal with the problem of unsafe products and the replacement of faulty items.
Parliamentary Secretary for Trade and Industry Sam Tan said in parliament today that his ministry has accepted the recommendations of a Lemon Law Taskforce.
He says his ministry agrees with the proposal to add repair and replacement provisions in existing legislation.
The Ministry of Trade and Industry is currently studying the necessary legislative changes and will complete public consultations by this year.
In general, a Lemon law aims to provide a remedy for consumers that make purchases of products or services that repeatedly fail to meet standards of quality and performance.
On the issue of product safety, Mr Tan says the current product safety framework will be enhanced to make it easier and faster to recall unsafe products
He adds that the Consumer Protection Act currently in place can deal with the issue of product safety.
"This Act is reserved for false trade descriptions with clear criminal intent and harm, and for unsafe products. While it is not practical to screen all products upfront, this Act empowers SPRING to screen higher-risk products such as electrical and gas appliances prior to sale."
MPs had called for a tighter regulation of products brought into Singapore in the wake of some children falling sick after playing with an unsafe toy.
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