Readers may be forgiven for being confused over what the plans are for revising and reforming the current weights and measures legislation. NWML began a consultation process back in October 2007. This followed a false start in June of that year when the initial plans for a project were announced to be followed shortly afterwards by an announcement that NWML was to become part of the newly formed Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills - DIUS.
NWML published a number of consultation papers and held a number of Workshops with various interested parties to discuss whether reform of the weights and measures legislation was necessary and if so what changes were needed and how should they be implemented. At the same time BERR (the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform) announced they were undertaking a review of all Consumer Law - including the Weights and Measures Act! Confused? You will be.
In its consultation process NWML considered a number of specific aspects: Enforcement, Measurement standards and Traceability, Statutory Weights and Measures Qualification, Verification and the Prescription of Weighing and Measuring equipment. They presented the findings from their consultations and discussions to the DIUS Ministers and the conclusion was that there is a need for reform of both the legislation and the means of enforcing it.
NWML will be moving this forward but will also have to take into account the responses to the BERR consultation on Consumer Law Review. That review asked a number of specific questions about weights and measures:
- What can be done to reduce the costs to business of weights and measures legislation?
- Are the "short weight/measure" criminal offences still needed?
- To what extent are regulations/controls needed on weighing and measuring instruments?
- Is it still necessary to control the way some products are sold (pre-packing, sale by weight or measure)?
- How should measurement standards be controlled and what traceability requirements are necessary?
So we await the issue of some proposals for reform. When we will see them, and what they will be we can't say at the moment. One thing is for sure. The "Good Old Days" of the local Weights and Measures Inspector regular carrying out routine inspection of every piece of weighing and measuring equipment in his area are well and truly gone and they will never return. The consensus of NWML's consultations seemed to be that weights and measures legislation is still needed in some revised form and its enforcement needs to be rethought and streamlined. What was positive for the measuring equipment industry was the very strong response to the Prescription Review that weighing and measuring instruments do need to be controlled by means of Type Approval, Verification and on-going inspection.
As and when NWML issue new consultation documents we will bring them to your attention, please keep an eye out for them and be sure to let us have your views. Review and reform of the legislation happens infrequently, and we need to make sure that we do all we can to get the best possible result for our industry and our customers!
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