§ Mr. HarveyTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will publish a table showing the number of meetings held, the secretarial and advisory arrangements, the budgeted and actual expenditure and the subjects of any reports and submissions produced by the Standards Quality and Measurement Advisory Committee in each of the last three years.
§ Mr. Ian TaylorSecretarial support for the Standards, Quality and Measurement Advisory Committee has been provided by officials from the national measurement system policy unit, a section within the technology and innovation policy division of the Department.
Advisory arrangements were covered within the terms of reference for the committee. The terms of reference for the committee were:
- (a) To identify and review the requirement of the United Kingdom national measurement system and the needs for its harmonisation internationally.
- (b) To advise the Department on the broad objectives, balance and strategy for departmental support of metrology, including its relationship to specification standards and other quality activities.
- (c) To advise the Department on the allocation of resources necessary to secure those objectives; to consider proposals referred by the Department to the committee for advice against such criteria as the Department may propose; to make recommendations for programmes to be considered by the Department; and to advise the Department on the effectiveness of its expenditure.
- (d) To propose other measures which will further the objectives of the national measurement system and related activities within the committee's area of responsibility.
- (e) To advise the Department on any other matters within the committee's competence.
The Standards, Quality and Measurement Advisory Committee has now become the Measurement Advisory Committee.
937WThe table shows the number of meetings held, the budgeted and actual expenditure and the subjects of
SQMAC Activity and Budgetary Information (financial years 1991–94) Financial Year Number of formal meetings of SQMAC Budget1£ Out-turn1£ Reports and submissions by SQMAC 1991–92 4 2— None 1992–93 4 25,000 22,747.88 None 1993–94 5 25,000 13,760,69 19 February 1993 Submission urging the consideration of planned reductions in programme funding. 1 June 1993 Submission expressing concern at the reduction in funding of the mass, length and flow metrology programmes. 1 Includes budget and out-turn for regular meetings of SQMAC working groups. 2 This information is available only at disproportionate cost.