Standards Bill 2009 26 November, 2009 -
The Bhutan standards bureau, to be established after the Standards Bill 2009 is endorsed, will start with standardising the quality of construction material and processed food that are imported and exported.
“We all talk about quality goods but what is good quality? The bureau will lay down the minimum standard that’s required,” said the works and human settlement minister, Lyonpo Yeshey Zimba, after the third reading of the bill at the National Assembly yesterday. “For instance, the quality of iron rods produced in the country should be acceptable in terms of its strength and quality. In the same manner, goods that are imported from outside should meet the standard laid down by the bureau.”
The standards bill states that the bureau will be a corporate body having perpetual succession and a common seal with power subject to acquire, hold and dispose of property, both moveable and immovable. The bureau will also have the power to sue companies and can be sued in turn.
Most parliament members emphasised that the bureau should function autonomously and not as a corporate body, as stated in the bill.
The foreign minister Ugyen Tshering said that, with more construction work going on in the country, it was important that materials used for construction were of standard quality. One MP said, however, that the purchasing power of people should also be considered when deciding on the standards.
The Bhutan standard bureau, according to the bill, shall have a minister as its chairperson, a secretary and a head of bureau. It will consists of not more 15 members representing industry, scientific and research institutions, states the bill.
The bureau can prohibit import of products not conforming to mandatory Bhutan standards for sale in the country, but accept products with standards that are higher than Bhutan standards. Apart from framing policies for compulsory enforcements of Bhutan standards, the bureau shall specify a standard mark called the Bhutan standards certification mark.
The bureau will also oversee the implementation of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) agreement on technical barriers to trade (TBT) and represent Bhutan in international and regional standardisation and accreditation bodies, such as ISO, IEC, SARSO and APLAC, to formulate national views on issues affecting national interest.
The opposition leader Tshering Tobgay said that it was important to specify whether the Bhutan standards bureau will generally cover all issues related to standards or not. “It’s important to clarify whether or not the bureau will be overseeing standards in other ministries, including the occupational standards,” he said.
Lyonpo Yeshey Zimba said that, while the bureau cannot oversee standards in every sector, the concerned sector should consult the bureau and work jointly on all standard issues, like medical related standards for instance.
By Kinga Dema
