§ Dame Angela RumboldTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations he has received about pre-stamping plastic capacity measures by Sandwell borough council; what steps he is taking to correct this anomaly; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Neil HamiltonI have received representations from two plastic capacity measure manufacturers about the stamping of measures before they have been tested, a practice which appears to be acceptable to Sandwell metropolitan borough council.
I have it in mind to make use of the powers proposed by clauses 1–4 of the Deregulation and Contracting Out Bill, once enacted, to amend the Weights and Measures Act 1985, so as to make pre-stamping lawful in defined circumstances and subject to prescribed conditions.