(2) how many cases are (a) under investigation and (b) awaiting trial for alleged use of imperial weights and measures at point of sale; and if he will make a statement.
The available information on convictions and acquittals under the Weights and Measures Act 1985 for offences relating to the weights and measures provisions is provided in the following table.
It is not possible to identify the number of these convictions and acquittals relating solely to the use of imperial weights and measures from other convictions and acquittals under the Weights and Measures Act 1985.
Enforcement of weights and measures legislation is undertaken by local authority Trading Standards Departments. Local authorities do not report the number of cases under investigations or awaiting trial under weights and measures legislation to my Department.
2005 2006 2007 Proceeded against 21 15 14 Acquitted — — — Found guilty 17 9 12 Sentenced 17 9 11 Conditionally discharged 2 — 2 Fined 15 9 7 Otherwise dealt with — — 2 1 The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. 2 Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Evidence and Analysis Unit—Office for Criminal Justice Reform.