Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 29 Mar 2001

Vol. 533 No. 5

Written Answers. - Flow Measurement Accreditation.

Paul Bradford

Question:

66 Mr. Bradford asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if she is satisfied that there is a suitable system of accreditation for flow measurement; and if she believes a national standard for flow measurement should be put in place. [9376/01]

Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Ms Harney)

The National Accreditation Board, NAB, is the Irish organisation for the accreditation of laboratories and certification bodies. The NAB is the sole national body responsible for accreditation in accordance with relevant International Organisation for Standardisation, ISO, standards, the EN 45000 series of European standards and the applicable national and international regulations.

Laboratory accreditation granted by the NAB is commonly referred to as "ILAB" accreditation. The ILAB scheme is voluntary and it is open to any laboratory that performs objective testing or calibration to apply for accreditation under this scheme. Quality of work and objectivity are the major elements considered when establishing the suitability of a laboratory for accreditation. The NAB has to date accredited one laboratory with a scope of accreditation for the calibration of flow meter devices over a specific range of flow.

There are several ISO standards dealing with the area of flow measurement of certain liquids and gases. In general it is considered that inter national methods of measurement are preferable to national methods, and there would be little if no added value in publishing such international standards as Irish standards.

With regard to the setting up of a national reference standard for flow measurement similar to the other standard measurements held by the National Metrology Laboratory in Enterprise Ireland, the position is that flow measurement is related to mass, time and temperature, which are primary reference quantities. Thus the setting up of a national reference standard for flow measurement, depending as it does on other primary reference quantities, would not be appropriate.