Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

803. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if the National Standards Authority of Ireland has ever carried out checks on the weighing mechanisms on the back of refuse collection trucks; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21054/16]

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

NSAI Legal Metrology is responsible for the implementation of the Metrology Acts 1980-1996 and related Regulations. It does this through certifying and inspecting measurement instruments and the quantities of pre-packaged products. A wide range of measuring instruments, including bin weighing systems on refuse collection trucks are subject to legal metrological control when used for trade purposes.

The Metrology Act 1996 and Legal Metrology (General) Regulations 2008, provide that only nationally approved instruments or instruments that have undergone European conformity assessment and bear the CE mark can be used for trade. The primary responsibility for design approval and conformity assessment rests with the manufacturer. The trader is obliged to ensure that only such a measuring instrument is used for trade and that it is correct and verified at all times. Re-verification must be carried out after the instrument has been repaired, re-calibrated or failed inspection. The process of re-verification involves establishing that the instrument complies with regulations, in particular, testing for accuracy against applicable measurement tolerances and the application of tamper evident seals.

In order to ensure sufficient resources are available for traders to keep their instruments in compliance, Legal Metrology have authorised private operators, subject to specific conditions, under Section 12 of the 1996 Act, to undertake verifications at the request of the instrument owner. To monitor compliance, NSAI Legal Metrology Inspectors, operating out of seven offices countrywide, carry out inspections of bin weighing systems on refuse trucks on the basis of risk-based enforcement.

There are approximately 750 bin trucks operating in the country of which 299 have been verified and sealed to date. NSAI understands that approximately 15% of waste company customers are currently on a pay by weight price plan. Details of inspections undertaken for the years 2014 to 2016 to determine the verification status of bin weighing systems in trade use are given below in table 1.

From 1July Legal Metrology is putting in place an inspection regime that will inspect the performance of bin weighing systems used for pay by weight purposes. NSAI Legal Metrology continues to review its enforcement strategy on the basis of inspection information allocating resources as necessary to the areas of highest risk.

Table 1.Inspections of Bin Weighing Systems