UKAS
The United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) has been formally appointed as the National Accreditation Body for the United Kingdom, under a new EU Regulation.
Since its formation in 1995, UKAS has been the sole accreditation body recognised by the UK Government to assess, against internationally recognised standards, organisations that provide certification, testing, inspection and calibration services. The new Regulation, which comes into force on 1 January 2010, requires each member state to appoint a single national accreditation body. UKAS has therefore been appointed under a statutory instrument providing, for the first time, a legal basis for its role.
In a Written Statement to Parliament, Lord Drayson, Minister for Science and Innovation said: “Since 1995, the government have recognised UKAS as the sole national accreditation body for the UK. Since its establishment by the Department of Trade and Industry, UKAS has played a significant role in the operation of national, European and international accreditation.
“The Department of Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) has a long-standing and effective relationship with UKAS that both parties value highly. We will continue to work together not only to ensure that the requirements of the EC Regulation are fulfilled but to improve the quality and breadth of accreditation in the UK.”
The new Regulation is intended to improve the consistency of accreditation services across Europe by setting common requirements for national accreditation bodies and requiring them to be monitored by member state governments. The new Regulation includes requirements relating to independence, impartiality and technical competence The Regulation also requires national accreditation bodies to operate on a not for profit basis and not to compete with other national accreditation bodies.
The Regulation recognises the European co-operation for Accreditation (EA) as the co-ordinating organisation for accreditation across Europe. National accreditation bodies will be required to be members of EA and to participate in the peer evaluation programme operated by EA as the preferred means of demonstrating compliance with the Regulation.
Paul Stennett, Chief Executive at UKAS said: “UKAS has for many years worked with the UK government and our European counterparts to provide confidence in the conformity assessment services on which business and society rely. UKAS is delighted that this appointment has codified into law this long established relationship and looks forward to continuing to work with BIS and EA to ensure that accreditation services in the UK fulfil the high standards set out in the new Regulation.”