The presentation today at the Toy Fair to the winner of the 2007 “PLAYSAFE” competition for aspiring young designers of safe toys organised jointly by the Trading Standards Institute and the British Toy & Hobby Association is a fitting occasion to highlight the work carried out over many years in tandem by both organisations in the UK and internationally in pursuit of safe toys and against sub-standard toys.

A spate of toy recalls last year has clearly illustrated that there is nevertheless no room for complacency. Both the TSI and the BTHA believe that the EU authorities and the Member States should recognise the urgent need for better-supported and more consistent enforcement across Europe and internationally of the EU toy safety regulations to ensure that non-complying toys and counterfeit toys do not slip through the net.

According to Roland Earl, director general of the BTHA: “Existing European structures are good but need to be tightened up. For our part, the BTHA intends to reinforce its Lion Mark, introduced in 1989, with a new Lion Mark compliance scheme to demonstrate that a licensee has all the necessary systems in place to meet the association’s requirements as part of its task to promote the highest possible standards of safety in the design and manufacture of toys throughout the supply chain.”

This initiative has been welcomed by Ron Gainsford, chief executive of the Trading Standards Institute: We look forward to continuing our many years of partnership working with the BTHA. The toy industry is a global business and with China producing an estimated 80 per cent of the world’s toys, global solutions are required. The Lion Mark is an important means to help consumers identify safe toys.”