§ 2.35 p.m.
§ LORD RAGLANMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, regarding the metrication of weights and measures.]
§ THE PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY, MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT (LORD KENNET)My Lords, the Government support the plans of industry to change to the metric system as its primary system of weights and measures by the end of 1975. The Minister of Technology has set up a Standing Joint Committee on Metrication, with industrial and Government membership. The extension of metric weights and measures to the rest of the economy is now being studied by this Committee, and its Report is expected very shortly.
§ LORD RAGLANMy Lords, I am very glad to hear from my noble friend's Answer that we are not going to be rushed into kilos, kilometres and other such things, but may I ask whether the Government are aware that the building industry are in difficulties because they have very sensibly standardised by metric module but they have by law to receive materials in imperial measurements? Will the Government give their urgent consideration to promoting legislation to permit the sale of things in metric measurements?
§ LORD KENNETYes, my Lords. Among the planks of Government policy in this respect is the removal of legal obstacles to the use of metric units. I understand that the construction industry 974 hopes to be in a position to demand that all tenders should be expressed in metric units after 1972, and the Government will play their part in removing obstacles to their use.
§ LORD MITCHISONMy Lords, will this extend to beer in pubs?
§ LORD KENNETMy Lords, we must await the recommendations of the Joint Committee on the extension of this change from industry to all other matters, including beer.
§ LORD MERRIVALEMy Lords, could the Minister say why the metric system regarding currency and the metric system regarding weights and measures are not to be introduced at the same time? Does he not feel that it would have been much easier for consumers and shops if it had been done in that way?
§ LORD KENNETMy Lords, it might have been so, but in both these fields there were so many problems to be settled that the Government felt that a kind of super "D-day" on which everything changed in one crash movement would really be more confusing.