The Units of Measurement Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010

Statutory Rules of Northern Ireland

2010 No. 365

Weights And Measures

The Units of Measurement Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010

Made

29th October 2010

Coming into operation

6th December 2010

The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment, being designated(1) for the purposes of section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 1972(2) in relation to units of measurement to be used for economic, health, safety, or administrative purposes, makes the following Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred by section 2(2) of that Act.

Citation and commencement

1.  These Regulations may be cited as the Units of Measurement Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010 and shall come into operation on 6th December 2010.

Interpretation

2.  The Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954(3) shall apply to these Regulations as it applies to an Act of the Assembly.

Amendment to the Weights and Measures (Northern Ireland) Order 1981

3.  Article 6(7A) of the Weights and Measures (Northern Ireland) Order 1981(4) shall be amended by omitting the words “until 31st December 2009”.

Revocation

4.  The Units of Measurement Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2002(5) are revoked.

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment on 29th October 2010.

Legal seal

M. Bohill

A senior officer of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations.)

These Regulations implement in part the amendments made by Directive 2009/3/EC of the European Parliament and the Council (OJ L114, 7.5.2009, p 10) to Council Directive 80/181/EEC (OJ L39, 15.2.1980, p 40) which relates to the use of units of measurement.

Regulation 3 removes the time limit (specified in the Weights and Measures (Northern Ireland) Order 1981) on the use of supplementary indications of quantity expressed in imperial units of measurement (31st December 2009). The use of such supplementary indications is, therefore, permitted indefinitely.

Regulation 4 revokes the Units of Measurement Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2002 which inserted the 31st December 2009 time limit in the Weights and Measures (Northern Ireland) Order 1981.

A full impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument as no impact on the private or voluntary sectors is foreseen.

(2)

1972 c.68; section 2(2) was amended by the Legislative and Regulatory Reform Act 2006 (c.51), section 27(1).

(4)

S.I. 1981/231 (N.I. 10); Article 6(7A) was inserted by S.R. 1995 No. 226 and subsequently amended by S.R. 2002 No. 70