HC Deb 10 July 1996 vol 281 cc407-8
Mr. Raymond S. Robertson

I beg to move amendment No. 13, in page 19, line 11, after 'kilometers' insert '(2 miles)'.

Madam Speaker

With this, it will be convenient to discuss also Government amendments Nos. 14 and 15.

Mr. Robertson

As hon. Members on the Standing Committee will recall, following a full and surprisingly wide-ranging debate in Committee, I undertook on behalf of my right hon. Friend and myself to introduce an amendment to add a reference to miles to the reference to kilometres in the Bill. That was in response to an amendment in the names of my right hon. Friend the Member for Dumfries (Sir H. Monro) and my hon. Friend the Member for North Tayside (Mr. Walker).

Amendment No. 13, in the name of my right hon. Friend, fulfils the commitment that we made in Committee. I hope that it will reassure those hon. Members who were concerned to ensure that the statute was as accessible as possible to the people of Scotland.

Mrs. Liddell

I do not want to intrude on the personal grief of Government Members. I can say only that we had an intriguing debate on this matter in Committee. I am very grateful that the sums we have been talking about have been rounded up in pounds. I shudder to think what would have happened if we had had to debate nursery vouchers in terms of what my daughter calls "old money". We do not oppose the amendment, but it is a measure of some Government Members' Euro-scepticism that they are even prepared to go so far as to quibble about the use of kilometres rather than miles.

Mr. Phil Gallie (Ayr)

I thank my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State. I spoke on this issue in Committee. It has nothing to do with Euro-scepticism. It is all about good relationships with the public and recognition of their understanding of issues.

Amendment agreed to.

Amendments made: No. 14, in page 19, line 12, after 'kilometers' insert '(3 miles)'.

No. 15, in page 19, line 13, at end insert—

': and in paragraphs (a) and (b) the references to imperial measurements are supplementary indications of distance.'.—[Mr. Raymond S. Robertson.]

Forward to