Member

The ability for HSE to issue a time-limited waiver from the explicit consent requirements of GB PIC already exists under the current arrangements; only a small number of these waivers are issued each year, and only if certain conditions are met. These measures simply harmonise those conditions so that the same conditions will apply to all chemicals for which a waiver can be granted. This is a valid regulatory approach where importing countries fail to engage with their trading partners and is in line with the requirements of the Rotterdam convention. In issuing a waiver only where official sources confirm a substance is already in use in the importing country, these measures in no way introduce new risks to our trading partners.