Ireland has a population of 3.7 million and entered the European Community in 1973. Having gained independence in 1922, the Republic was declared in 1949. There is a bicameral Parliament with an upper house, or Seanad Éireann (Senate), and a lower house, Dáil Éireann (House of Representatives). Executive power is vested in the Government, which is appointed by the President (a largely non- executive post) with the approval of Dáil Éireann. The judicial system comprises courts of first instance, which includes a High Court and courts of local and limited jurisdiction and a court of final appeal, the Supreme Court.
Local Government is on two levels with 29 County Councils and 10 Borough and County Borough Corporations forming the upper tier and 79 Urban Authorities the lower tier. The Republic has a land area of 70,283 sq km.
Responsibility for consumer protection generally rests with Central Government Offices.
Following a major modernisation and reorganisation programme, the Legal Metrology Service (LMS) was established as a statutory body in 1997, having replaced the former group of organisations known as the Weights & Measures Service. It became a division of the National Standard Authority of Ireland (NSAI) in 1998. The NSAI is a state owned authority responsible for the development of written standards, certification of systems & products and for legal metrology services.
In exercising overall responsibility for Legal Metrology in Ireland, the LMS is responsible for units of measurement, type approval, verification and inspection of measuring instruments used for trade and for the metrological control of both packaged and loose goods. It also is responsible for issuing regulations, for the prosecution of offences under the Acts and for Irish international representation. The Service has an authorised staff complement of forty three based at the Service headquarters and seven regional verification centres.
The LMS is funded through a mix of government grant and income generated from the services it provides. The Service maintains its own working standards and maintenance of National and the LMS reference standards and some type testing for pattern evaluation is carried out by the National Metrology Laboratory of Enterprise Ireland on behalf of the LMS.
The Irish National Accreditation Board is a division of Forfás and is responsible for accreditation in accordance with the EN45000 series of European Standards and the relevant ISO standards & guides. Forfás is the national policy advisory board for Enterprise, Trade, Science, Technology & Innovation.
- Simple length measures in trade use
- Area measuring instruments
- Non-liquid volume measures
- Liquid volume measures
- Dipsticks
- Medium accuracy weights in trade use
- Liquid volume metering instruments
- Petroleum
- Bulk milk
- Lubricating oil
- Heating oil
- Gas volume meters
- Non-automatic weighing instruments
- Self-indicating
- Non self-indicating
- Automatic weighing instruments
- Discontinuous totalising
- Continuous totalising (beltweighers)
- Gravimetric filling
- Rail weighbridges
- Catch weighers
- Checkweighers
- Weight graders
- Weigh/price labeller and weigh labeller
- Road traffic instruments
- Taximeters
- Depth gauges for liquids for tax purposes
- Measuring instruments for grading cereals
Type approval is granted by the LMS. Testing for type approval is sub-contracted to the National Metrology Laboratory. New instruments being placed on the Irish market are, in most cases, already type approved by another Legal Metrology Authority. Test reports from such authorities are generally accepted on a mutual recognition basis.
Initial Verification is performed by Legal Metrology inspectors operating from seven regional verification centres throughout the country. Some verification work is also undertaken at the point of instrument manufacture.
Fees for initial verification are, subject to Ministerial approval, set by the NSAI. In general fees are not based on full cost recovery.
Discussions are ongoing with public utilities on the establishment of an authorised system of self-verification of gas & electricity meters. These utilities are currently being de-regulated.
All controlled instruments are, at present, subject to statutory annual inspection for which no charge is made, by legal metrology inspectors. Errors based on MPE X 2 are permitted. A review of the inspection interval is planned in the context of the revision of regulations.
Re-verification is required upon repair / re-calibration of an instrument and errors of MPE X 1 are applied.Verification & inspection is evidenced by application of labels to instruments.
In addition to the one type approval engineer at the National Metrology Laboratory, 60 weights and measures inspectors are employed by the Police and local authorities. They must all attend a six month course comprising formal training in metrology, electronics and law, plus on the job training. No provision is currently made for the training of officers in quality assurance.
Inspectors functions are confined to the monitoring of weighing and measuring equipment used for trade. They will investigate consumer complaints about inaccurate instruments and short measure and will advise traders on legal requirements.
Enforcement of average quantity prepackages controls is the responsibility of a separate specialist inspectorate within the Department of Enterprise and Employment. In the event of prepackages falling below T2, the Department can initiate legal proceedings.
There is no system of administrative penalties for breaches of metrological requirements. Inspectors may issue written notices to traders requiring equipment to be corrected within a specified period, normally 14 days. Seals preventing the use of an instrument may be applied in the case of non-payment of a verification fee.
Responsibility for prosecution of offences rests with the Director of Legal Metrology and penalties may be imposed by the courts. Summary convictions and convictions on indictment may result in the following penalties:Summary conviction €1,900 or 12 months imprisonment or both.
Conviction on Indictment €12,600 or 2 years imprisonment or both
The Directive was implemented in Ireland by Statutory Instrument No. 424 of 1992, the European Communities (Non-automatic Weighing Instruments) Regulations 1992, subsequently amended by Statutory Instrument No 447 of 1994, the European Communities (Non-automatic Weighing Instruments) (Amendment) Regulations 1994. Three categories of instruments in Article 1(2)(a) were subject to national controls prior to implementation, ie categories 1, 2 and 6.
The LMS is designated as the notified body for type approval, unit verification and initial verification. The Certification Department of NSAI is designated as a notified body for quality systems certification.
Gravity values have been identified as: 9814000m Gal (9.814 ms2) with maximum variation of +100m Gal (0.001 ms2) to -200m Gal (0.002 ms2)
'G Value: 9.814 ms2 + .001ms2 - .002ms2 will be required.
However, these values are not prescribed by legislation.
The Irish implementing regulation does not make it an offence to use an instrument outside of its marked weighing range. No classes are designated for a particular application.
Updated March 2003