§ Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what advice he is providing to retailers about the steps which they should take in relation to lawnmowers in stock at the time of implementation of the Lawnmowers (Harmonisation of Noise Emission Standards) Regulations 1986; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ButcherThe Lawnmowers (Harmonisation of Noise Emission Standards) Regulations 1986 applies to lawnmowers manufactured on or after 1 July 1987. Retailers existing stock at the time of implementation will therefore not be affected.
380WRetailers association along with other interested organisations are kept informed of the progress of the lawnmowers directive and the regulations through our normal general circulars.
§ Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if batch sampling of new lawnmowers will be permitted after the implementing of the Lawnmowers (Harmonisation of Noise Emission Standards) Regulations.
§ Mr. ButcherI shall reply to my hon. Friend as soon as possible.
§ Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement outlining the policy objectives which Her Majesty's Government are seeking to achieve by making the Lawnmowers (Harmonisation of Noise Emission Standards) Regulations 1986.
§ Mr. ButcherThe regulations arise from the requirement on the United Kingdom to implement EC directive 84/538/EEC. The directive removes those technical barriers to trade between member states which arise because member states have different national rules on noise levels which they apply to lawnmowers. Thus, the UK policy objective of the regulations is to gain the advantage for British lawnmower manufacturers of guaranteed access to markets in member states without having to comply with many different standards. It is also part of the general UK policy to complete the internal market by 1992. This policy was affirmed by heads of member states at the treaty conference in December 1985.
§ Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the cost to public funds in travel and accommodation of public servants during the negotiations in the EEC of the directive on lawnmower harmonisation of noise emission standards; and how many official and ministerial meetings took place in the course of negotiations.
§ Mr. ButcherNo such estimate can be made. The lawnmowers proposal was one of a package adopted in 1984 and was negotiated (over a number of years) together with others in a sometimes sporadic fashion. Meetings attended by United Kingdom officials usually covered more than just the lawnmowers proposal.
§ Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many testing centres he plans to authorise to conduct tests in accordance with the Lawnmowers (Harmonisation of Noise Emission Standards) Regulations 1986; and what criteria he will apply in determining the location of such centres.
§ Mr. ButcherNine test laboratories have already been appointed to carry out tests. Any test organisation can apply to be appointed and one of the criteria for appointment is satisfying the national measurement accreditation service requirements. There are no criteria for determining the location of the laboratories.
§ Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what steps he is taking to control the level of charges levied for testing lawnmowers under the Lawnmowers (Harmonisation of Noise Emission Standards) Regulations 1986; and if he will make a statement;
381W(2) what estimate he has made of the additional costs which will be required to be borne by the lawnmower manufacturing industry in consequence of the Lawnmowers (Harmonisation of Noise Emission Standards) Regulations 1986; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Butcher[pursuant to his reply, 3 November 1986]: The additional cost to manufacturers will depend largely on the extent to which their lawnmowers already meet the specified noise levels.
The Lawnmower (Harmonisation of Noise Emission Standards) Regulations 1986 implements the European Communities article 100 directive, which was adopted in September 1984 and comes into force on 1 July 1987. The purpose of this directive is to harmonise member states' laws relating to the permissible sound power level of certain categories of lawnmower. Prior to being placed onto the market, lawnmowers will have to be tested and certified to show they conform to the requirements of the directive. Conforming products will have free access to the Community market. Obviously it is hoped that the advantages to be gained by the United Kingdom's Lawnmower industry from a more open Community market will outweigh the initial additional costs.
With regard to the control of charges for tests, my Department has agreed with the manufacturers and the appointed test laboratories to allow for market forces to dictate the charges. Manufacturers are therefore able to shop around and negotiate an acceptable price.