Mr Speaker Sir, as the President of CASE, I would once again urge the Ministry of Trade and Industry to extend the five-day cooling off period to the beauty industry.
CaseTrust-accredited spas are already giving their customers a cooling off period to reconsider their purchase of beauty packages. In view of the recent subtle senses case, the CaseTrust Council is exploring to introduce the escrow account and insurance for fees collected like the private school as a requirement of CaseTrust accreditation for spa.
I hope the Government will require all beauty salons and spas to give their customers a cooling off period too. Customers, usually ladies, feel vulnerable when therapists start selling packages in the treatment room or consultation room, sometimes clad in only a robe or towel.
I would like to ask the Ministry of Trade and Industry when the changes to the CPFTA and the Hire-Purchase Act on provisions of lemon law would take effect to provide consumers better protection for defective products.
Sir, The Consumer Protection (Trade Descriptions and Safety Requirements) Act was passed in 1975. The Act prohibits false trade descriptions and stipulates that breaches of the Act attract a fine or imprisonment or both. While the Act has been set out to protect the rights of consumers and assure they are getting what they are paying for, the Act has not always achieved this goal.
This Act currently lists only 45 products as controlled goods. These are home electrical appliances and components of or related to the liquefied petroleum gas system. I would like the Ministry of Trade and Industry to look into setting safety standards for all goods. This would mean setting acceptable limits of chemicals in all goods which would otherwise be harmful to health, such as the level of lead, phthalates and cadmium.
The Ministry should also require importers and manufacturers to state the age group of consumers the good is intended or suitable for, and contain health warnings or hazards.
