The National Measurement and Regulation Office (NMRO) was an

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of the

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's Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). Its function were to provide a measurement infrastructure which supports innovation, facilitates fair competition, promotes international trade and protects consumers and the environment.

History

The agency was created as National Weights and Measures Laboratory (NWML) in 1987 from a reorganisation of the Standards Department when it moved from its previous location in central London to a new, purpose-built facility in

Teddington Teddington is a suburb in south-west London in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. In 2021, Teddington was named as the best place to live in London by ''The Sunday Times''. Historically in Middlesex, Teddington is situated on a long me ...

which was officially opened by

the Duke of Kent Duke of Kent is a title that has been created several times in the peerages of Great Britain and the United Kingdom, most recently as a royal dukedom for the fourth son of King George V. Since 1942, the title has been held by Prince Edwar ...

on the 9th of April 1987. Until June 28, 2007 it was an agency of the Department of Trade and Industry. It then became part of the newly formed

Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) was a UK government department created on 28 June 2007 to take over some of the functions of the Department of Education and Skills and of the Department of Trade and Industry. Its h ...

. In 2009 an agency moved to

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and until April 2015 was known as the National Measurement Office (NMO). In April 2015 NMO was renamed to National Measurement and Regulation Office and by 1 April 2016 it was merged with Better Regulation Delivery Office to form Regulatory Delivery in the former Department for Business Innovation and Skills. Since July 2017, Regulatory Delivery has been a directorate in the newly created Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

Roles

The NMO and NMRO was responsible for the setting of the strategic direction of the measurement infrastructure, aligning policy and legislation, managing the national scientific and legal metrological activities and representing the UK in international activities on measurement. In addition, the NMO / NMRO acts as a National Enforcement Authority for a range of EU-based environmental legislation and carries out commercial activities which rely on measurement expertise.

Scientific metrology

The Agency had responsibility for the National Measurement System (NMS) until April 2015, which is the UK's national infrastructure of laboratories that are involved with the science and technology of measurement. It has responsibility for maintaining the national primary standards (mass, length, time, temperature etc.) and disseminating the associated measurements and technologies to the UK for trade and measurement purposes.

Legal metrology

The Agency was also responsible for examining and approving new measuring instruments and equipment which are ultimately intended for use in trade in order to establish their compliance with national legislation such as the

Weights and Measures Act 1985 Weights and measures acts are acts of the British Parliament determining the regulation of weights and measures. It also refers to similar royal and parliamentary acts of the Kingdoms of England and Scotland and the medieval Welsh states. T ...

and relevant EU legislation. The agency also made available to manufacturers of such equipment a consultancy service, intended to be used throughout different stages of the equipment's development. They also provided calibration and testing services to both local authorities and private businesses, as well as training in aspects of legal metrology to national and international clients.

References

External links