asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection what changes concerning departmental responsibility for the Britsh Calibration Service he intends to make; and if he will make a statement.
The British Calibration Service functions as a service to industry in assessing and supervising calibration laboratories. The Secretary of State for Industry has agreed with me that this function would be more appropriate to his Department. With the agreement of the Prime Minister, functional responsibility for the BCS will, therefore, be transferred from my Department to the Department of Industry from today.Similarly, the Advisory Council on Calibration and Measurement, which supports the transfer, will in future advise the Secretary of State for Industry on the operation of BCS and other matters within its terms of reference.