PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
CERAMIC INDUSTRY BACKSTAMPING (15 February 2001)

That this House notes that the competitive strength of the United Kingdom's ceramic industry is based upon its reputation for quality products, and its skilled workforce, whose experience has been developed over 400 years of production and world trade; further notes that there is a recent trend for ceramic products to be sold in the United Kingdom that are produced externally through outsourcing, and that they are being sold in the United Kingdom with either no or misrepresentative information placed upon them as to their country of manufacture and that this practice continues because of a lack of any legislative provision preventing it; believes that as a result of this practice consumers are being misled and prevented from making an informed choice, so as to distort the free operation of the market and to undermine domestic production; resolves to support the industry's calls for a statutory mark of origin to be introduced that would be placed on ceramic goods reflecting where the produce was first fired; and calls on the Government to bring forward legislation accordingly.

Sponsored by:
Joan Walley (Labour)