HALLMARKING (no. 2)

Early day motion 1563, tabled 9 July 2003 by Mark Field (Conservative). Signed by 153 members.

That this House welcomes the statement by the Minister for Employment Relations, Competition and Consumers on 20th June, Official Report, columns 684-6, that the present draft EU Directive on articles of precious metal would 'effectively weaken the level of protection enjoyed by the consumer, which we could not and would not support' and that 'the UK Government have no intention of altering a hallmarking system that has served the UK so well for so long'; notes that this follows the DTI having consulted trade associations such as the British Jewellers Association, representing manufacturers, the National Association of Goldsmiths, representing retailers, assay offices, the British Hallmarking Council and trading standards and consumer organisations; welcomes the statement in the other place, obtaining cross party support, by the Parliament Under-Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, 19th June, Official Report, column 960, that 'we will oppose the Directive'; notes however that the Italian Presidency, starting on 1st July, intends to revive the draft Directive; further notes that nine out of the 10 countries set to join the EU in 2004 have compulsory hallmarking systems similar to that in the UK and regrets any attempts by member states with lower standards of protection to ignore their views; and calls on the Government vigorously to co-ordinate action with the sympathetic member states to ensure that any harmonisation in this sector builds upon rather than dilutes existing high standards of consumer protection and, if this is not feasible, to form with those states a blocking minority.

Signatures by party: Labour 63, Conservative 55, Liberal Democrat 21, Labour/Co-operative 6, Plaid Cymru 2, UUP 2, Independent 1, Independent Conservative 1, Independent Ulster Unionist 1, Scottish National Party 1.