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The Portfolio Committee on Trade and Industry is inviting all interested individuals and stakeholders to submit written comments on the Legal Metrology Bill.
 
Legal Metrology concerns measurements that directly affect consumers and ensures the quality and credibility of measurements such as weight, speed and blood pressure that are used in regulation and in areas of trade. It deals with risks of misuse of measuring instruments, of tampering and of accidental influences on a measuring instrument and deals with the traceability of measurements, thus providing an appropriate level of credibility of measurement results in the regulatory domain.
 
In a broader sense, it covers the protection of society in areas of health, safety and the environment, hence the importance of the interaction between regulation and measurements.
 
The Legal Metrology Bill seeks to strengthen the enforcement within an appropriate legislative framework. The Bill also addresses corporate governance issues and it proposes that the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS) will administer the proposed Act. The NRCS is currently being overseen by a Board. The Bill seeks to change the governance structure by requiring the Chief Executive Officer to report directly to the Minister of Trade and Industry and doing away with the Board.
 
Interested individuals and groups wishing to comment are kindly requested to forward written submissions to the Committee by no later than Monday, 14 October 2013. Public hearings have been scheduled for 15 and 16 October 2013.
 
Members of the public and stakeholders, who wish to obtain copies of the legislation, may contact the nearest Government Printers or contact the Committee Secretary on the contact numbers indicated below:
 
All correspondence should be addressed to Ms J Fubbs, Chairperson: PC on Trade and Industry and marked for the attention of Mr A Hermans, Box 15, Parliament, Cape Town, 8000. Submissions should be forwarded to the following email addresses: ahermans@parliament.gov.za; mherling@parliament.gov.za; ncloete@parliament.gov.za
 
Enquiries may be directed to Mr A Hermans at (021) 403-3776, fax no: 086 652 7753 or via e-mail: ahermans@parliament.gov.za