Hallmarking

HC Deb 25 July 1977 vol 936 cc13-4

11. Mr. Hooson

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection if he will instruct the assay offices to hallmark articles submitted for hall-marking in the position requested by the sponsors rather than at the discretion of the assay offices.

Mr. John Fraser

The assay offices are autonomous bodies and I have no powers to issue such an instruction. I understand that the assay offices try to meet sponsored requests for the placing of hall- marks, but there are sometimes practical or technical reasons why this cannot be done. Anyone who has a specific complaint against any assay office may bring it to the attention of the British Hall-marking Council, which has a statutory duty to supervise the activities of the offices.

Mr. Hooson

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that individual craftsmen sometimes have difficulty with assay offices? Is it not necessary to distinguish between the work load provided by craftsmen and the industrial work load? Is he aware that the three days' delay at the assay offices in 1975 was aceptable but that it is now 18 days for silver, and that when marking individual craft-made items great difficulties are encountered?

Mr. Fraser

I understand the difficulties of marking. What I think I might do to help the hon. and learned Gentleman is to ask the Chairman of the Hallmarking Council to see me to discuss this and other problems raised in hon. Members' correspondence.

Mr. Emery

Does the hon. Gentleman realise that when the new legislation was going through the House as a Private Members' Bill the assay offices gave an assurance that they would do everything possible to co-operate in hallmarking in the future? However, because of the Jubilee hallmarking there has been a major demand, which has been greater than the assay offices could possibly have expected.

Mr. Fraser

I understand that there has been a demand due to the Jubilee, but perhaps that that might have been anticipated. Secondly, I understand that in the placing of hallmarks the assay offices have to take into account the preventing of fraud, not by the producer but subsequent fraud, and that is one consideration in placing the hallmark.