THE EARL OF SELKIRKMy 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 whether a decision has been taken to convert our linear measurements to a decimal system.]
§ LORD DENHAMMy Lords, metric units of linear measurement and of mass or weight have been lawful in the United Kingdom since 1897. The current legislation, the Weights and Measures Act 1963, provides that the yard and the metre shall be the units of measurement of length by reference to which any linear measurement shall be made in the United Kingdom. The Government have no proposals in mind to vary these provisions.
THE EARL OF SELKIRKMy Lords, while accepting the principle of decimalisation, would not the Government be wise to explain a little more fully its detailed application in certain cases? If I may take one small example, in the Monthly Statistical Digest rainfall is given in millimetres, but almost all public records of rainfall are in inches. Would it not be wise to keep the two standards of measure for rather longer?
§ LORD DENHAMMy Lords, of course my right honourable friend will bear in mind what my noble friend has said. I should tell your Lordships that shortly a White Paper will be published which will set out Her Majesty's Government's future policy on metrication.
§ LORD SHACKLETONMy Lords, I may have missed this point. May I ask what the proposals are likely be with regard to geographical miles, which are an important device, as one geographical mile is roughly equivalent to one minute of latitude? This is a serious point for travellers and explorers, for hose who are accustomed to using maps and navigators. Do the Government intend to abolish knots as well?
§ VISCOUNT DAVENTRYMy Lords, does the noble Lord know it is a nautical mile he is talking about? Has he heard of a nautical mile?
§ LORD SHACKLETONMy Lords, a geographical mile is in fact the same as a nautical mile, but it is known as a 3 geographical mile by most people. not a statutory mile.
§ LORD DENHAMMy Lords, if I can set the mind of the noble Lord the Leader of the Opposition partially at rest over this point, it is expected that, with a very slight modification, nautical miles will continue to be used in countries that use the metric system.
§ LORD CONESFORDMy Lords, would the noble Lord bear in mind that a knot is a unit of speed and not a unit of length?
§ LORD SHACKLETONMy Lords, it certainly is. But is the noble Lord aware that if you remove the unit of length you cannot, in fact, achieve a unit of speed? May I ask the noble Lord how he is going to modify a nautical, or geographical, mile " slightly "?
§ LORD DENHAMMy Lords, by a very small amount.