To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether an assessment was made of the potential merits of including second‑hand furniture in the scope of the 2026 Office for Product Safety and Standards consultation on furniture fire safety regulations.

The consultation, Product regulation: fire safety of domestic upholstered furniture outlines the Government’s intention to remove second-hand domestic furniture from the scope of the reformed Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations, instead regulating those products under the General Product Safety Regulations (GPSR).

This was informed by extensive stakeholder engagement, which found current requirements are inconsistently applied and difficult to meet in practice, as testing is destructive and therefore not practical for second-hand goods. Evidence suggests second-hand furniture has not been associated with significant fire risk. Removing those products from scope represents a more proportionate approach, reducing burdens and supporting reuse.