Hallmarking to remain after widespread industry support
Hallmarking will not be scrapped following massive support from the industry, according to the results of the retail section of the Government’s Red Tape Challenge announced today by business secretary Vince Cable.
Back in April, Retail Jeweller reported that hallmarking was on the list of eight key topics that the Government wanted the public and retailers to comment on to assess whether it was still relevant to the industry.
The jewellery industry responded immediately with nearly 6000 people leaving comments in favour of retaining hallmarking.
As Michael Hoare, chairman of the NAG, commented on Retail-jeweller.com at the time: “I think the industry would welcome an open and honest debate about hallmarking, but this government is attempting to develop its populist credentials so that it can be said to have dealt a blow to red tape.”
The Red Tape Challenge was a key action from the Government’s Plan for Growth, which is focusing on creating the right conditions for business to start up, invest, grow and create jobs, by freeing them of unnecessary red tape.
As Mark Prisk, minister for business and enterprise said: “We’ve listened to what people have said about the confusing and overlapping riles with the aim of getting rid of the ones we don’t need and making the ones we do simpler to understand and put into practice. At the same time though we are preserving good regulation, such as the hallmarking regime,
that there was strong support for.”
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Readers' comments (1)
C Henderson | 28 July 2011 3:30 pm
I hope the official that suggested UK hallmarking might be worth scrapping is given appropriate 'management advice'.
It's not one of this governments better ideas.
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