HALLMARKING OF PRECIOUS METALS

<p>That this House believes it is in the best interests of consumers to maintain hallmarking as a statutory independent service carried out by the four assay offices, London, Birmingham, Sheffield and Edinburgh in Scotland; notes that hallmarking is Britain's oldest consumer protection practice and is paid for by the industry not the taxpayer; further notes that the 2010 review of hallmarking by the Department for Business, Skills and Innovation and a recent OFT investigation showed that hallmarking offered important protection to consumers; and therefore calls on the Government to remove hallmarking from the list of regulations which might be abolished under its Red Tape Challenge.</p>