The Red Tape Challenge aims to reduce regulation which stifles enterprise and industry. The message from the Government appears to be that every regulation highlighted will be abolished -- unless visitors to the website express sufficient good reasons to convince Ministers that this particular regulation must be kept.

Hallmarking is among the eight key topics on which the population is invited to air their views from now until 5th May 2011. We believe it is imperative to the British consumer for the current and future UK Jewellery Industry to maintain hallmarking as a statutory independent service.

Please view the following YouTube clip http://www.youtube.com/user/GemsTVUK and visit the Red Tape web site http://www.redtapechallenge.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/hallmarking and express your views now -- before Hallmarking is deregulated and 700 years of even handed consumer protection is brought to an abrupt end, not because people don't want it, but by default.