§ 35. Mr. John Pageasked the President of the Board of Trade when he proposes to introduce legislation to change the hall-marking laws in connection with the attachment of precious metals to base metals in the manufacture of musical 1548 instruments; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mrs. Gwyneth DunwoodyThe treatment of articles made partly of precious metal and partly of other materials is one of the difficult problems to be resolved before we can introduce reforming legislation. I cannot predict when this will be possible.
§ Mr. PageIs the hon. Lady aware that the musical instrument industry is losing a lot of important export business because it cannot attach a silver lip plate to a metal musical instrument, even though it is not required to be hallmarked? Cannot the hon. Lady cut through a bit of red tape since the Goldsmiths' Company and the Assay Office are keen to co-operate with the musical instruments industry in any sensible proposals?
§ Mrs. DunwoodyI certainly have sympathy with the hon. Member. He will accept that it is difficult to use a hallmark which, apparently, gives a cachet to the entire instrument. If there is a way round this, we shall be only too happy to find it. As the mother of somebody who is trying to learn to use one of these instruments, all I can say is that one can get awfully fed up with hearing "Good King Wenceslas".