Citation and commencement

1.  These Regulations may be cited as the Weights and Measures (Passing as Fit for Use for Trade and Adjustment Fees) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003 and shall come into operation on 29th December 2003.

Revocation and saving

2.—(1) Subject to paragraph (2), the Weights and Measures (Passing as Fit for Use for Trade and Adjustment Fees) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2002(4) are hereby revoked.

(2) The Regulations referred to in paragraph (1) shall continue to apply in relation to any item of weighing or measuring equipment passed as fit for use for trade and where necessary stamped or adjustment service provided before 29th December 2003.

Interpretation

3.  In these Regulations –

“the Order” means the Weights and Measures (Northern Ireland) Order 1981;

“the 1984 Regulations” means the Measuring Equipment (Liquid Fuel by Road Tanker) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1984(5); and

“the 1998 Regulations” means the Measuring Equipment (Liquid Fuel and Lubricants) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1998(6).

Prescribed fees

4.—(1) In the Schedule –

(a)Part I shall have effect for prescribing the fee to be paid with a view to having any item of weighing or measuring equipment to which Article 9 of the Order applies passed as fit for use for trade and where necessary stamped; and

(b)Part II shall have effect for prescribing the fee to be paid with a view to having any item of weighing or measuring equipment to which Article 9B of the Order applies passed as fit for use for trade and where necessary stamped.

(2) The appropriate fee shall be payable whether or not the equipment is passed as fit for use for trade and stamped.

(3) The fee to be paid for the adjustment of any weight or measure in the course of a service provided pursuant to Article 43 of the Order shall be an amount calculated in accordance with the fee prescribed in paragraph D of Part I of the Schedule.

regulation 4

SCHEDULE

PART Iitems of weighing or measuring equipment to which article 9 of the order applies

In this Part, the abbreviation employed to refer to the kilogramme unit of measurement is kg.

PART IIitems of weighing or measuring equipment to which article 9b of the order applies

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations.)

These Regulations prescribe the fees to be paid in having certain weighing or measuring equipment passed as fit for use for trade by inspectors of weights and measures and for the adjustment by them of weights and measures.

The Regulations additionally:

(a)make provision for an increase in the fees by an average of 14%;

(b)prescribe fees for retesting part of an instrument consisting of any number of meters as provided for in regulation 22(1)(a) of the Measuring Equipment (Liquid Fuel and Lubricants) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1998; and

(c)make reference to the capacity of non-automatic weighing equipment as being in kilogrammes rather than tonnes.

The Weights and Measures (Passing as Fit for Use for Trade and Adjustment Fees) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2002 are revoked except in relation to any item of equipment passed as fit for use for trade or adjustment service provided before 29th December 2003.