§ Mr. MorganTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will issue guidelines on the issuing of quality management systems equivalent to BS 5750 by both certifying bodies and consultants who themselves have not been approved in particular industrial sectors in which they are offering their services by the National Accreditation Council for Certifications Bodies.
§ Mr. HeseltineCertification to BS 5750 and the accreditation of certification bodies are commercial decisions for the parties concerned. I recognise that accreditation provides confidence in certification services. My Department does, therefore, encourage certification bodies to seek accreditation and individual companies to use the services of accredited certification bodies. This is reflected in the current edition of the DTI QA register which now lists only accredited certification bodies.