RESTRICTIONS ON MERCURY DEVICES (6693/06)
Letter from the Chairman to Lord Bach,
Minister for Sustainable Farming and Food, Department for Environment,
Food and Rural Affairs
Thank you for your Explanatory Memorandum of
15 March 2006 which Sub-Committee D (Environment and Agriculture)
examined at its meeting on 29 March.
The Committee are concerned that implementation
of the proposal could have a significant impact on businesses
who specialise in supplying mercury-containing instruments to
the domestic market. We have received views from a specialist
in restoration of mercury barometers which we enclose (not printed).
What impact would the propoosal have on those businesses which
restore mercury instruments; and would such businesses be allowed
to continue to sell restored mercury instruments to the public?
We look forward to receiving your reply and,
in due course, the full Regulatory Impact Assessment. In the meantime,
the Committee decided to retain the proposal under scrutiny.
24 April 2006
Letter from Lord Rooker, Minister of State
for Sustainable Farming and Food, Department for Environment,
Food and Rural Affairs to the Chairman
Thank you for your letter of 24 April 2006 regarding
the Explanatory Memorandum of 15 March 2006 on the above.
The European Commission state in their revised
proposal that the directive would only restrict the placing on
the market of new measuring devices and that the restriction would
not apply to devices already in use or sold second hand. Specialist
firms would therefore be able to continue to restore instruments
and sell them to the public, so these aspects of their business
would not be impacted.
However, devices imported into the European
Union would be affected by the proposal, as they would be considered
as "first time onto the market".
Thank you also for the enclosed letter from
Barometer World. My officials have discussed Mr Collins' proposed
licensing scheme with him and have advised him to forward a fully-costed
proposal to the European Commission.
2 June 2006
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