It is simply not acceptable to think that children might be at risk because unsafe toys are sneaking onto the market.

If there were ever a case where zero tolerance should be called for, it would be where children are involved. No child should ever choke on part of a toy or be burned because clothing was not flame-retardant. In 2015, a total of 24 children up to 12 years of age were injured when using children’s products, although it is believed there were a lot more such accidents.

A report by the National Audit Office on the Market Surveillance Directorate dealt with two sectors that affect health and safety: children’s products and pesticides. It noted insufficient resources and poor risk assessment being applied.

The fact that pesticide levels were found to be higher than internationally-acceptable standards is simply unacceptable and it is just as worrying that even defaulters somehow seem to slip through the gaps and are not followed up to ensure compliance.

The same broad problems emerged in the case of children’s products, from toys to clothing. The whole system is riddled with holes, ranging from how inspections are conducted to the way in which they are followed up.

It does not help that the directorate cannot impose fines and has to initiate court proceedings in cases of non-compliance. Still, it should not be rocket science to assess risk and ascertain whether market stalls and bazaars with a more dubious safety track record are more likely to stock unbranded products. Only 15 visits targeted such outlets out of the 115 made in the period under review.

Between 2014 and 2016, a total of 38 products were found without CE marking, even if this is not a comprehensive guarantee of safety.

To be fair, the directorate has identified some of the weaker links in the chain and has signed memorandums of understanding with various stakeholders. Part of the problem is that products – often from non-EU countries – can be imported from Sicily without proper checks, as the Customs Department must abide by freedom of movement regulations. However, the Auditor General’s report shows clearly that more needs to be done.

The fact that childcare articles remain among the top 10 items leading to child injuries is more than enough to highlight the need for urgent, meaningful action.

With pesticides, there is also a lot at stake. The World Health Organisation estimates that pesticides poison at least three million people every year. Who knows how many other diseases are, however, aggravated by the chemicals we unwittingly ingest?

The National Audit Office broke down the problem into identifying the most consumed products, the products most likely to have high levels of residue and following up on infringements. The directorate did not sample any of the 10 most consumed products and did not test products that had, in the past, been found to fail the level tests. Why not?

There is then the lack of accredited laboratories so that, even when there is doubt, potentially dangerous products remain on the market for up to three months until the test results come back.

The directorate is there to protect consumers but it is failing in two crucial sectors. Shame on those who allow the status quo.