§ Mr. David PorterTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what has been the result of the consultation exercise in relation to the accreditation arrangements relating to the EC Eco-management and audit regulation and British Standard BS 7750.
§ Mr. McLoughlinThe consultation exercise showed clear support for the appointment of the National Accreditation Council for Certification Bodies as accreditation body for both the EC regulation and BS7750. NACCB is being asked to start work immediately so that it has the maximum possible time to develop accreditation arrangements which will include the necessary environmental dimension and to streamline procedures so that both regulation and standard may be as accessible as possible, to small firms in particular. We are actively considering the formal separation of NACCB from BSI and a further announcement will be made in due course. A further announcement will also be made in due course on the appointment of a competent body under the terms of the regulation.