Purpose of the Act and summary of its main provisions
6.The prime purpose of the Act is to introduce three deregulatory measures to lessen the burdens on business associated with the verification of weighing or measuring equipment (e.g. scales and petrol pumps) under Article 9 (Weighing or measuring equipment for use for trade) of the Weights and Measures (Northern Ireland) Order 1981 ("the 1981 Order").
7.Provision is made in the Act as follows:
Self-verification of weighing or measuring equipment
The 1981 Order is amended to permit approved manufacturers, installers and repairers to conduct their own testing, passing and stamping (verification) of weighing or measuring equipment as fit for use for trade. Currently such equipment is required to be verified by an inspector of weights and measures (“inspector”) under Article 9 of the 1981 Order.
Testing by official EEA testers
The 1981 Order is amended to allow persons who require any weighing or measuring equipment to be passed by an inspector as fit for use for trade to submit, together with the equipment, test reports from third-party testers established in the European Economic Area ("official EEA testers").
Such reports are required to:
confirm that the equipment has been tested in accordance with any tests prescribed for that equipment;
state which tests have been applied; and
set out the test results.
If the inspector is satisfied that the tests have been performed by a competent person, the inspector will accept the test report as part of his verification of the equipment.
Pre-test stamping
The 1981 Order is amended to enable manufacturers of weighing or measuring equipment (eg glass beer measures), provided they are approved verifiers, to apply the requisite prescribed stamp prior to the equipment being tested and passed as fit for use for trade. The manufacturer must, however, be satisfied that the equipment will be passed as fit for use for trade and that, until it has been passed, it will not be used at any time when it bears the stamp.
