Consultations CtSI HaS ItS SaY Some of the institutes contributions to government policy debate Hallmarking by UK assay offices at overseas sub-offices Hallmarking by UK assay offices at overseas sub-offices British Hallmarking Council, august 2017 CTSI broadly opposes the British Hallmarking Councils (BHC) proposition that UK assay offices at overseas sub-offices should use different hallmarks to those applied in the UK, following concerns about quality control and consumer confusion. The BHC oversees four UK assay offices to ensure that hallmarking standards are maintained and that the hallmark the quality mark of each assay office means exactly what parliament and the public expect it to mean. Since 93 per cent of jewellery items sold in the UK are manufactured outside of the UK, BHC applied for legal permission to allow UK assay offices to establish overseas sub-offices to minimise the risk of jewellery that bears no hallmark entering the UK market. To ensure that standards are maintained, the BHC Applications Committee only establishes sub-offices after exhaustive scrutiny. A consumer consultation conducted by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy showed a lack of understanding of the hallmarking system and concerns that the use of overseas sub-offices was outsourcing and could increase the risk of an inferior product. CTSI argues that the lack of consumer understanding about hallmarks means the BHCs proposed solution to offer distinguishing offshore marks to quell consumer concerns about inferior products would create further confusion. It warns that the proposed solution could benefit the unscrupulous, who could use non-authorised marks on inferior and counterfeit jewellery, and explain the marks when questioned as overseas marks. CTSI members who are responsible for the enforcement of the Hallmarking Act reject claims of outsourcing, since the proposed overseas sub-offices will use assay office staff working to the same quality standards and will be BHC-monitored in the same way as the main assay offices. CTSI advised the BHC to maintain standards through quality systems management and external secondary monitoring, spot checks and site visits to ensure confidence in its mainoffices. Lead officer: David Sanders For more details and to contribute to consultations such as these, visit www.tradingstandards.uk Credits Images: istock.com / mavoimages To share this page, in the toolbar click on You might also like CTSI has its say September 2017