7. Consumer Protection

The department protects consumer interests through enforcement of the Toys and Children's Products Safety Ordinance, Consumer Goods Safety Ordinance, Weights and Measures Ordinance, and Trade Descriptions (Marking)(Gold and Gold Alloy) Order and Trade Descriptions (Marking)(Platinum) Order.

Toys and Children's Products Safety Ordinance and Consumer Goods Safety Ordinance

The department conducted spot checks and investigations to ensure toys, children's products and consumer goods supplied in the market are reasonably safe and are affixed with bilingual warning labels. In 2005, 2 955 spot checks and 665 investigations were conducted. As a result, 3 traders were prosecuted. Besides, the department issued 46 Prohibition Notices terminating the supply of unsafe products, including stink bomb toy, toy plane, clay toy, toy train set, toy play set, toy whistle, telephone car, toy xylophone, bunk bed, miniature collection box, glass-top table, folding chair and sun sense clear mist.

In 2006, 2 861 spot checks and 743 investigations were conducted. 13 traders were subsequently prosecuted. Besides, the department issued 60 Prohibition Notices terminating the supply of unsafe products, including swivel chair, child safety barrier for domestic use, flying model toy, toy whistle, clay toy and toy mouse.

Weights and Measures Ordinance

To weed out the dishonest practice of short weights and measures, the department conducted 604 spot checks and 391 investigations in 2005 and 600 spot checks and 392 investigations in 2006 to detect and deter the use of inaccurate weighing and measuring equipment in trade and the supply of goods short of the purported weights and measures. Those retail trades against which comparatively more complaints concerning supply of short weights and measures were received continued to be the target of the department's enforcement actions. As a result, 27 and 51 traders were prosecuted in 2005 and 2006 respectively for contraventions of the Weights and Measures Ordinance.

Trade Descriptions (Marking)(Gold and Gold Alloy) Order and Trade Descriptions (Marking)(Platinum) Order

Besides, 81 inspections and 17 investigations on gold and jewelry shops were also conducted in 2005 to ensure compliance with the Gold and Platinum Marking Orders and to detect misrepresentations of fineness of gold and platinum in products on sale. One gold and jewelry shop operator was prosecuted for supplying gold and platinum articles with deficient fineness content. In 2006, the numbers of inspections and investigations stood at 80 and 13 respectively.

Education-oriented seminars

To promote traders' awareness of product safety and their obligations in complying with the related Ordinances, the department conducted education-oriented seminars for leading department stores, chain shops, and small and medium enterprises in the past two years. Further, the department continued to work closely with the Consumer Council with a view to promoting public awareness of product safety and fair trading.