Radio Equipment (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2024

I also want to explain that the common charger measures aim to reduce environmental waste, increase consumer convenience and save money for consumers, as they will not need to buy separate chargers for each device. We consider that it would potentially help businesses, as well as deliver consumer and environmental benefits, if we were to introduce similar standardised requirements across the UK. We have, therefore, launched a call for evidence at the same time as laying this instrument before the Committee. The implementation of common charger measures in Northern Ireland also ensures our compliance with international law, which facilitates Northern Ireland’s continued unique dual access to both the UK internal market and the EU single market.

Having set out the context, I will now move on to the detail of the instrument. This instrument introduces new regulatory requirements for specific categories of electrical and electronic equipment that use wired charging and are placed on the Northern Ireland market. It amends the Radio Equipment Regulations 2017 to provide for the following: simplified charging whereby USB-C will be the common charging port, meaning that one charger will work for multiple devices and bringing cost savings and environmental benefits; standardised fast charging technology, meaning that charging speed is the same when using any compatible charger for a device; unbundling the sale of a charger, meaning that consumers will have the option to purchase new devices without a charger, thereby reducing electronic waste and costs; and additional visual and written information about charging characteristics, the power the device requires and whether it supports fast charging, thereby improving the information available to consumers. This will help consumers understand whether their existing chargers meet new devices’ requirements and help consumers select compatible chargers. The common charger measures will apply to certain categories of handheld devices, including smartphones that use wired charging, from 28 December 2024, and to laptops from 28 April 2026.

I turn to offences and enforcement. Offences will be amended to cover the common charger requirements already mentioned, including to ensure that consumers are offered the choice of purchasing specific categories of electrical and electronic equipment without a charging device if they wish; and that the equipment is accompanied by visual information showing whether a charging device is included. However, I assure noble Lords that enforcement authorities will continue to take a proportionate approach to compliance and enforcement activities in accordance with the Regulators’ Code. In almost all cases, we expect that, by working with and supporting businesses, compliance will be achieved without recourse to the use of criminal penalties. The Northern Ireland Department of Justice has confirmed that it considers that the offences provided for by this instrument are consistent and proportionate, and will have no negative effect on the criminal justice system in Northern Ireland.

We are taking action to help industry with these new requirements. My officials in the Office for Product Safety and Standards will provide industry guidance to ensure that businesses have the information they need on how to comply with the new requirements. My officials are also liaising with the Northern Ireland district councils, which are responsible for enforcing the Radio Equipment Regulations in Northern Ireland, ensuring that they have all the necessary information they require in order to do so.

With USB-C charging becoming the industry default, in effect, it is the Government’s view that, by providing regulatory certainty, it would potentially help UK businesses and deliver consumer and environmental benefits if we were to introduce similar requirements across the whole of the UK. We therefore launched a call for evidence at the same time as laying this instrument in the House.

We expect this instrument to bring consumer and environmental benefits in Northern Ireland. It also ensures our compliance with international law, which facilitates Northern Ireland’s continued dual access to the UK internal market and the EU single market. I am pleased to commend these draft regulations to the Committee. I beg to move.

Furthermore, the regulations introduce stricter penalties for businesses that fail to comply with the new rules. These include possible imprisonment. The exact terms of these penalties have not yet been fully clarified. Given the scope of the changes and the potential for confusion about what constitutes full compliance, the Government must first ensure that the enforcement mechanisms are clear in order to ensure fairness.

I was asked whether the measure would apply to the whole of the UK. We hope that it will apply to Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. That is what our call for evidence is about. Although the timeframe is slightly different, we hope that this will happen to everybody across the board; there will not be a distinction between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. If things go to plan—and I think that businesses will support this—we will have a standardised process across the UK that uses the USB-C, a standardised thing that we will all use. It is a standard system and most companies are already producing this equipment to that standard; we are not trying to impose something different on Northern Ireland from what will happen everywhere else. To my mind, that is a bit of a no-brainer, although I understand the concerns of colleagues in Northern Ireland. But we will be catching up with you, rather than the other way around—we will catch up with you very soon, I hope.

The noble Lord, Lord Morrow, asked about commencement dates. For portable electronic equipment the date is December 2024 and, for laptops, it is April 2026, so there is a fairly tight timescale for portable equipment to bring us in line with the EU. But as I say, Northern Ireland is the forerunner of what will happen anyway; it is increasingly standard throughout the world, and I hope that you will have nothing to fear from that. I hope that I have persuaded noble Lords—maybe I have not, but there are huge consumer benefits to this move. I do not think that businesses feel any concern about this measure, as they are increasingly beginning to produce equipment that meets these standards. This will be the new standard and we have to make sure that we grow it in the right way. I hope that I have persuaded noble Lords on this issue, and am therefore pleased to commend the SI to the Committee.