I am sorry to hear that. The decision to move the HASS statistics was based on a resource issue when the Department of Health was producing statistics about hospital and doctor visits. Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents wanted to take on HASS. In the spirit of my hon. Friend's request, I shall investigate further and find out what the problem is.

I hope that I, as the Minister with responsibility for consumers, and the all-party group on gardening and horticulture will develop a relationship and deal with some of these issues in a practical way that helps consumers and the industry. I agree with my hon. Friend that we do not want to issue regulations that burden and restrict the industry, that stop people enjoying their gardening or that prevent products that people want to use from being introduced. I know that he wants to strike a balance.

I was talking about the handbooks that are available on the DTI website, which I am sure my hon. Friend will access straight after the debate. As I said, they were not designed to deal with every specific use of ladders but are general guides that bring together expert advice on choosing and using ladders and stepladders. They aim to lessen the risks to individuals from ladders and other products in the marketplace—for instance, the other options that were available to the constituent who had the nasty accident.

In particular, the guides set out the importance of choosing a ladder that is the correct height and strong enough for the task being undertaken. They point to the benefit of leaving one hand free to hold on while working, and to the dangers of over reaching, to which I referred earlier. The guides also focus on the importance of proper setting up to ensure that the ladder or stepladder is in the correct position and that it is secured, generally by tying it to a stable fixed object. They are a useful tool for the public, and we must ensure that there is maximum awareness of the issues.

Several guides that cover safety in the garden more generally are available on the DTI website. "Guide to DIY Safety" and "Painless DIY" are two publications that offer helpful advice on, for example, the use of residual current devices that will protect the user—me, for instance—from an electric shock in the event of accidentally cutting through a trailing electric lead with a lawnmower or other cutters. There is further guidance on ladder safety and on the use of chainsaws, hedge trimmers, shredders and brush cutters, and there are pages on "Gardening without Tears". "Sowing the Seeds of Safety" identifies 10 tips for keeping children safe in the garden, and our garden safety guidance offers more hints and tips, in particular on the safety benefits of keeping the garden tidy, putting tools away after use, locking the garden shed and maintaining pathways, and on the risks associated with barbecues, bonfires, ponds and paddling pools—all of which people would want to use but which can be dangerous if not used properly.

In this area where ultimately guidance and the Government can go only so far—safe behaviour cannot be learned from a quick flick through a leaflet—common sense has to come into play. Guidance helps us, as do safety instructions provided with the tool or ladder, but we cannot pretend that the DTI issuing leaflets will lead to an end to accidents in the garden or in the home. It will not. We must accept that only through changed behaviours and the responsible use of equipment are we likely to see a reduction in avoidable accidents.

We must ensure that consumers have rights and that they are protected. We also need to ensure that consumers understand that they have responsibilities too. However, I accept that some gardening accidents may result from products that are inherently unsafe. All consumer products placed on the market are required by the General Product Safety Regulations 1994 to be safe in normal or reasonably foreseeable conditions of use in keeping with the characteristics of the product. The regulations also require that warnings are provided where the risks that the product presents are not obvious.

Enforcement authorities, which are usually local authority trading standards departments, can act to suspend unsafe products from the market and prosecute the producer or distributor for the breach of the general safety requirement. We are currently consulting on revised regulations that implement the 2001 EC directive on general product safety. One of the main changes is that in future the authorities will, as a last resort, be able to order the recall of dangerous products from consumers. In future when any product, such as a tool, that is designed for professional use comes on to the general consumer market, its safety in a consumer's hands will be judged against the General Product Safety Regulations.

That covers the point that Sir George Young raised that producers of tools should be more aware of the information that consumers need. The DIY leaflets at B&Q, for example, show how to deal with a tool in a particular circumstance. I suppose that we should try to move towards safety leaflets being available alongside tools that are for sale in such outlets. That is where the development of consumer protection will move forward. My hon. Friend may be aware of Consumer Direct, which is a telephone hotline. I attended the opening of its call centre on the island of Lewis. People can ring for advice about products, product safety and consumer rights.

There are already moves in the DTI to highlight the issue of safe products and consumer safety. That reflects the changing role of the DTI. I do not want to score any political points or to make this matter partisan, but other parties want to end the DTI. That would be a bad step for consumers. We have changed the role of the DTI in consumer protection over the past two years. From 1999 to 2002, the Department mounted a major safety campaign, "Slips, Trips and Broken Hips", highlighting the problems of falls, particularly of elderly persons, and worked to raise awareness of the risks and consequences. That work was taken over by Help the Aged, with seedcorn funding from the DTI in 2002. There are also our annual firework safety campaigns.

The spirit in which my hon. Friend has raised the issue will get us to look again at certain matters. I am not sure that the HASS statistics can be reinstated. I will be happy to meet my hon. Friend to talk through the reasons why we did what we did on that and where we believe the figures are available, notwithstanding his comments about the ROSPA website. We will look seriously at the question of the leaflet. There may be resource issues, but there may be other ways of achieving the same end. Again, we will explore what can be done. I agree with my hon. Friend that we have to be proactive rather than reactive.