§ Lord Marlesfordasked Her Majesty's Government:
What progress they are making in persuading other European Union member states to share their view that any harmonised trade in articles of precious metal should have a high level of consumer protection secured by reliable independent third- party verification; and [HL4889]
What importance they attach, during the current European Union presidency working party discussions on the draft Directive on Articles of Precious Metal, to the need for harmonised trade in such articles to have a high level of consumer protection secured by reliable third-party verification; and whether this objective is shared by other member states. [HL4890]
§ Lord Sainsbury of TurvilleHer Majesty's Government attach great importance to high consumer protection in this area, which we believe can best be achieved through a system of independent third-party checks. We have been liaising closely with a number of other member states who share our concerns in order to oppose this measure.