§ Mr. SteenTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will take steps to allow equipment submitted for type approval to be re-submitted for partial testing, where it can be technically shown that any adjustments could in no way affect the previous tests.
§ Mr. Sainsbury[holding answer 19 June 1991]: Formal testing is carried out under strict national measurement accreditation service (NAMAS) accreditation requirements. Where the type test results in a report that shows that the equipment submitted fully meets the technical requirements of the appropriate specification or standard, a type approval certificate is issued to the applicant for type approval by the Radiocommunications Agency.
If, however, the equipment does not meet the appropriate technical requirements, at the request of the applicant, the type testing may be continued or terminated at that point. The equipment will then be returned to the applicant along with a complete or partial test report. The applicant who may be the manufacturer or importer will in most cases re-design, modify or adjust the equipment prior to making a new submission for formal type testing.
When re-design, modification or adjustment of equipment to rectify a failure mechanism for one parameter takes place it is possible that other parameters may be affected to a point where they would now result in a type test failure. It would place an unacceptable responsibility on test houses to expect them to make value judgments on the total effect of such rectification activities on the overall performance of a piece of equipment. In some instances it could result in a test house operating outside its (NAMAS) accreditation conditions. Thus the results obtained from a number of separate type tests will not be accepted for type approval certification.
This approach to type testing and approval is in conformance with current practice in other European Administrations.