S.I. No. 143/2012 - Consumer Protection (Consumer Information) (Articles of Precious Metals) Regulations 2012.

Notice of the making of this Statutory Instrument was published in

“Iris Oifigiúil” of 11th May, 2012.

I, RICHARD BRUTON, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation in exercise of the powers conferred on me by section 50 of the Consumer Protection Act 2007 (No. 19 of 2007) (as adapted by the Enterprise, Trade and Innovation (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order 2011 ( S.I. No. 245 of 2011 )), hereby make the following regulations:

1. These Regulations may be cited as the Consumer Protection (Consumer Information) (Articles of Precious Metals) Regulations 2012.

2. These Regulations shall come into operation on 1 July 2012.

3. In these Regulations—

“approved hallmark” means an approved hallmark as defined in the Hallmarking Act 1981 ;

“article of precious metal” means an article consisting of or containing gold, silver or platinum or alloys of gold, silver or platinum;

"Regulations of 2001" means the the European Communities (Hallmarking of Articles Imported from Other Member States) Regulations 2001 ( S.I. No. 579 of 2001 ).

4. Subject to Regulation 5, a trader shall not supply an article of precious metal to a consumer unless the article is marked with an approved hallmark.

5. An article of precious metal which complies with Regulation 3 of the Regulations of 2001 shall be deemed to comply with Regulation 4.

6. A trader who supplies an article of precious metal from a premises to which the public has access shall exhibit a notice in the form set out in the Schedule.

7. A notice exhibited pursuant to Regulation 6 shall—

(a) be located in a position so as to be clearly visible and easily accessible to a consumer before or immediately after entering the premises,

(b) be displayed on not less than A4 size paper, and

(c) contain letters and figures at least three millimetres in height and of proportionate width, which are not hidden, obscured, or interrupted by other pictorial or written matter.

SCHEDULE

Given under my Official Seal

8 May 2012.

RICHARD BRUTON,

Minister for Jobs Enterprise and Innovation.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Instrument and does not purport to be a legal interpretation).

These Regulations were made under Section 50 of the Consumer Protection Act 2007 to provide consumers with information on articles made from precious metals and for the purpose of designating the National Consumer Agency as the authority responsible for the enforcement of hallmarking legislation. Hallmarking describes the administrative and legal system for ensuring that articles of precious metals conform to legal standards as to the fineness of the precious metals.

These Regulations require traders, selling articles made from precious metals (gold, silver or platinum), to ensure that they have an approved hallmark and the trader must display a notice prescribing the hallmarks allowed and showing examples of these hallmarks.