The Criminal Justice Act 1988 (Offensive Weapons) (Amendment, Surrender and Compensation) Order 2024 is a Statutory Instrument that was made on 30 April 2024 to tackle knife crime. Parts 1 and 3 of it came into force on 26 June 2024, Part 4 came into force on 26 August 2024 and Part 2 will come into force on 24 September 2024. Part 2 contains two references to measurement. One refers to the length of a weapon’s blade and the other refers to the distance of the serrated cutting edge from a blade’s handle. And they are both in inches.
Continue reading “Why are inches used in legislation and guidance on offensive weapons?”Tag: legislation
Weights and measures were absent from today’s King’s Speech
Today, King Charles III read out the King’s Speech, which describes the Government’s legislative programme for the year ahead. The House of Lords briefing published on 1 November 2023 raised the possibility that the Government might revive their plans to bring back imperial units. It came as a huge sigh of relief to metrication campaigners, including UKMA, that there were no references to weights and measures in the King’s Speech. They were also absent from the Prime Minister’s briefing on the King’s Speech. So, what can we expect from the Government on future measurement policy?
Continue reading “Weights and measures were absent from today’s King’s Speech”The other victory UKMA won in the end
The previous article describes how weights and measures legislation was saved from the axe by changes to the REUL Bill. There was another important victory that has also been won by UKMA with the help of powerful stakeholders though it took years to win. UKMA spent years fighting the Department for Transport before the battle to make metres mandatory on restriction signs was eventually won.
Continue reading “The other victory UKMA won in the end”Victory for UKMA as W&M legislation is saved from bonfire of EU laws
When former Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg introduced the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill last year, around 4000 EU-derived laws were in danger of being scrapped by default at the end of this year. Among the threatened laws were several items of weights and measures legislation, which this blog covered in the Rees-Mogg’s legislation time bomb article. Several amendments to the Bill were accepted and most of the laws have been saved from the axe. The Bill received royal assert at the end of June 2023 and is now the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Act.
Continue reading “Victory for UKMA as W&M legislation is saved from bonfire of EU laws”Amended REUL Bill is a big improvement over the original Bill
When former Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg introduced the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill, around 4000 laws were due to be scrapped at the end of this year. He and his pro-Brexit supporters had no idea which ones will disappear, what, if anything, will replace them and which ones will be kept. This has been replaced with a list of almost 600 laws that will be revoked or sunset by the end of this year. Each law on the list is shown with its associated government department, its purpose and the reason for revocation.
Continue reading “Amended REUL Bill is a big improvement over the original Bill”Government retreats on REUL Bill
The Retained EU Law Bill (REUL) Bill was scheduled for its Report Stage on Wednesday 19 April 2023. The Government has delayed the return of the REUL Bill. No new date has been set for the Report Stage. The Bill could be postponed for a long time, possibly beyond the next general election. After facing cross-party opposition from peers in the House of Lords, the Government is now considering what concessions to make on this Bill.
Continue reading “Government retreats on REUL Bill”UKWF issues warning about risks of REUL Bill
Yesterday, the UK Weighing Federation (UKWF) issued a briefing on the regulation of the UK weighing industry and the Retained EU Law Bill. This briefing emphasised the key role of weights and measures in all areas of industry and consumers’ everyday lives and also explained the serious consequences of lowering or complete removal of current regulatory standards.
Continue reading “UKWF issues warning about risks of REUL Bill”Weak regulations cause disasters like Grenfell Tower fire
Grenfell Tower was a block of flats with 24 floors in North Kensington, West London. On 14 June 2017, a fire broke out in Grenfell Tower and spread very fast throughout the block with the help of flammable cladding. This disaster destroyed Grenfell Tower and resulted in the loss of 72 lives. Many more were injured. This is a classic example of what can happen when regulations are non-existent or inadequate. If the Retained EU Law Bill becomes law, almost 4000 EU-derived laws could disappear overnight at the end of this year and ministers would only have to do nothing to let this happen.
Continue reading “Weak regulations cause disasters like Grenfell Tower fire”Minister failed to explain metrication failure
Even though Conservative MP Paul Scully, the former Minister for Small Business, Consumers & Labour Markets, failed to acknowledge that British measurements are still in a mess, he admitted that “Being able to compare prices and quantities is a fundamental principle of fair trade and that is why, overall we have a single metric system of units of measurement today.”. Ministers should take heed of his words. The use of a single metric system of units of measurement enables consumers to compare prices and quantities but this is now under threat. The recent imperial units consultation and the Retained EU Law Bill are threatening to reverse progress on metrication, reintroduce imperial units and bring back rival systems of units of measurement for trade and commerce.
Continue reading “Minister failed to explain metrication failure”UKMA is proud to join the Safeguarding our Standards coalition
The Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) established the Safeguarding our Standards (SOS) campaign in response to the Government’s proposed Retained EU Law Bill (REUL Bill). The Bill threatens food safety, product safety, animal health and welfare, fair trading, legal metrology and protection against scams and rogue traders. UKMA is concerned about the Bill’s threats to weights and measures legislation, which could undo many years of metrication progress. Last month, CTSI invited UKMA to join the Safeguarding our Standards coalition and UKMA agreed to join. SOS comprises a coalition of organisations and individuals with an interest in maintaining the protections that the people of the United Kingdom have benefited from for years.
Continue reading “UKMA is proud to join the Safeguarding our Standards coalition”
Metric Views 