Supplementary memorandum submitted by
the Department of Trade and Industry
Question 89: Note on the sale of draught shandy
Under the Weights and Measures (Intoxicating
Liquor) Order 1988 (SI 1988/ 2039), beer and cider sold by draught
may be sold only in quantities of a third of a pint, half of a
pint or multiples of half of a pint. But draught beer or cider
sold as a constituent of a mixture of two or more liquids (eg
shandy) do not have to be sold in specified quantities and the
quantity of the constituent parts or of the total mixture does
not have to be made known to the buyer.
If the vendor voluntary sells or purports to
sell shandy (either the constituent parts of the mixture or the
total mixture) by measure rather than by an indeterminate expression
of quantity (eg "by the glass") he is guilty of short
measure if he delivers a lesser quantity than he purports to sell
or than corresponds with the price charged.
Question 107: Note on funding of scholarships
for Trading Standards Officers and Distance Learning Materials
SCHOLARSHIP FUND
As part of the Departments Modernisation Fund
for consumer protection, £1 million has been made available
in 2001-02, 2002-03 and 2003-04 to support the training and development
of Trading Standards professionals by funding scholarships, which
help Local Authorities increase the number of staff they train.
This scheme is managed on behalf of the Department by the Local
Authority Coordinators of Regulatory Services (LACORS) to which
Local Authorites need to apply for the scholarship funding.
In 2001-02 £713,000 was spent on scholarships
and £831,000 was spent in 2002-03. £1 million has been
set aside for the scholarships in 2003-04.
DISTANCE LEARNING
MATERIALS
In addition, £500,000 was made available
from the Modernisation Fund for a Trading Standards Institute
(TSI) project to develop distance learning materials to support
the professional development of Trading Standards officers. All
the funding has been spent and the distance learning materials
will be launched at the TSI Conference in June 2003.
Question 134: Note on the use of imperial and
metric units of measurement of length
Under Council Directive 80/181/EEC of 20 December
1979 ("the Directive") on the approximation of the law
of Member States on units of measurement, as amended by Directive
89/617/EEC of 27 November 1989, Member States must use the metre
and its decimal multiples (eg the kilometre) and submultiples
(eg the centimetre) after 31 December 1994 for measuring instruments
used, measurements made and indications of quantity expressed
in units of measurement of length for economic, public health,
public safety or administrative purposes.
By way of derogation, the Directive authorises
the mile, the yard, the foot and the inch for use for road traffic
signs, distance and speed measurements in the United Kingdom and
Ireland until a date to be fixed by those States for changing
to the metre, etc for road traffic signs, distance and speed measurements.
The Government's view is that, although drivers are familiar with
metric units, it would not be appropriate to fix a date for converting
speed limit and distance signs while there is still likely to
be a significant proportion of drivers for whom the change could
be potentially confusing.
The Directive does not affect the use in the
field of air and sea transport and rail traffic of units of measurement
other than those made compulsory by the Directive which have been
laid down in international conventions or agreements binding the
Community or the Member States.
The use of units of measurement to express quantity
in legislation is considered to constitute use for an economic,
public health, public safety or administrative purpose within
the meaning of the Directive.
The Department for Transport used kilometres
in Special Grant Report Number 116 (which provides for the payment
of grant for the routine maintenance of de-trunked roads in 2003-04)
for technical consistency and because it was considered to be
for administrative purposes within the meaning of the Directive.
25 April 2003
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