HL Deb 23 January 1974 vol 348 cc1433-4
LORD IRONSIDE

My 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 when and where they propose to put standard metres in convenient public places.

THE MINISTER WITHOUT PORTFOLIO (LORD ABERDARE)

My Lords, Her Majesty's Government are not proposing to install standard metres in public places.

LORD IRONSIDE

My Lords, in thanking my noble friend for that brief and uninformative Answer, may I ask what has been the result of consultations with industry following the E.E.C. Directives concerning units of measurement and material measures of length? Will the Government look sympathetically at requests from consumer bodies and others to retain Imperial measure for quite valid reasons?

LORD ABERDARE

My Lords, we recognise our commitments to the Community under their various Directives, and our metrication programme is designed to ensure that our obligations are met with time to spare. So far as the Directive on length is concerned, this I understand is a draft Directive and we shall be consulting fully on it. Certainly we shall take into account any representations from my noble friend and others which affect consumers.

LORD IRONSIDE

My Lords, may I further ask my noble friend whether he agrees that it would be a good idea for a standard metre to be shown at consumer advisory centres in the high streets of our towns, so that the ordinary person can compare the metre with the yard and see of himself what the new measurement of length is going to be like?

LORD ABERDARE

My Lords, this is an interesting suggestion, and one which I am sure will be considered by the Metrication Board.

THE EARL OF LAUDERDALE

My Lords, can my noble friend say how we know what is a metre until it is metred?

LORD ABERDARE

My Lords, as I understand it, a metre is a perfectly well-known length which is defined.

LORD IRONSIDE

My Lords, would my noble friend go further and ask his right honourable friend to instruct local authorities to provide standard metres and exhibit these, bearing in mind that the exhibit does not need to be very large and therefore would not involve the community in great expense?

LORD ABERDARE

My Lords, these are matters which come within the purview of the weights and measures inspectors. In certain places there are already linear standards exhibited. Whether this is something which should be done nationally, and whether the cost of doing so is merited, is a question that is open to discussion.

LORD ANNALY

My Lords, is my noble friend aware that the City Corporation have already placed a standard metre at Guildhall?

LORD ABERDARE

Yes, my Lords.

LORD BELHAVEN AND STENTON

My Lords, would it not be better to continue with yards, which everybody understands already?

LORD ABERDARE

My Lords, that was certainly not the view of the Government in their policy.

LORD SOMERS

My Lords, may I ask the noble Lord when he is really going to make us members of the Community by insisting on French being our standard language?

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