§ 7.31 p.m.
§ Lord JACQUES rose to move, That the draft Weights and Measures Act 1963 (Dried Vegetables) Order 1975, laid before the House on 24th June, be approved;
§ and
§ That the draft Weights and Measures Act 1963 (Flour and Flour Products) Order 1975, laid before the House on 24th June, be approved;
§ and
§ That the draft Weights and Measures Act 1963 (Cereal Breakfast Foods and 1095 Oat Products) Order 1975, laid before the House on 24th June, be approved. The noble Lord said, My Lords, Schedule 4 to the Weights and Measures Act 1963 specifies 40 or so basic grocery items which, if pre-packed, can be offered for sale by retail only in a range of prescribed imperial quantities. Parliament has already approved Orders permitting three of these commodities to be sold by retail in ranges of metric quantities. These three commodities were pasta, salt and sugar. It is now proposed by these Orders that, if the packer so desires, dry vegetables, breakfast cereals and flour should be sold in a range of metric packs. As the law stands at the moment we are not in any position to insist that goods shall be sold only in metric packs, so once there has been metrication goods will continue for a short while to be sold in both ranges, that is a range of imperial packs and a range of metric packs. In every case we are trying, by consultations with the industries concerned, to reduce the period to an absolute minimum.
§ The crucial factor in most cases is the time it takes to re-set machinery or to put in new plant; this can take anything up to two years. All the industries concerned took the initiative in 1970 to go for metrication; during the whole of 1974 there have been consultations on these three Orders, and the proposals in the Orders now before the House are widely accepted. The effective dates of the Orders have been arranged with the industry. That is absolutely essential because the timing has to be relevant to the introduction or the adjustment of machinery. The weights of the metric packs will be approximately 10 per cent. more than the weights of the corresponding imperial packs, and of course the prices will be proportionately higher. Discussions on prices have taken place with the industries concerned, and except for rounding up to the nearest halfpenny we would expect prices for the metric packs to be 8 per cent. to 10 per cent. more.
§ Before the metric packs are introduced the Metrication Board will give advanced publicity in each case. Under revised marking regulations to be introduced shortly all packs will be marked 1096 with imperial and metric weights, and the new packs will be marked "metric pack" in capital letters to distinguish them from the smaller sizes which will be imperial packs. I would remind the House that the policy of metrication is a commercial one intended to help the export trade. It is obvious that exporters are obliged to export in packs which correspond to the laws and customs of the importing countries. It is therefore undesirable that our exporters, who supply not only the export market but also the home market, should have to put up separate packs for the separate markets. It will obviously help our export trade if the exporter can have one range of packs which he uses both on the home and the export markets. That is the essential reason for our metricating.
§ I would point out that except for about half a dozen very small countries the whole of the world is now committed to metrication. The countries concerned have either already got metric packs or are committed to metrication, so that we will be at a disadvantage in our export trade unless we move with speed towards metrication. Although our membership of the EEC was not a reason for our deciding to metricate, now that we are firmly within the EEC it is obviously desirable that we should take note of our commitments in relation to metrication. By April 1978 we will be obliged not to discriminate against metric packs; that is to say, by that date other countries within the Community can export metric packs to this country. We are also under an obligation to phase out imperial packs by an agreed date, or in default of an agreement by the end of 1979. It is therefore important that consultations should continue and that necessary legislation should proceed with all possible speed, so as to ensure that we maintain our consumer protective legislation after we have got metrication. My Lords, I have pleasure in moving the three Orders standing in my name on the Order Paper.
§ Moved, That the draft Weights and Measures Act 1963 (Dried Vegetables) Order 1975, laid before the House on 24th June, be approved;
§ and
§ That the draft Weights and Measures Act 1963 (Flour and Flour Products) 1097 Order 1975, laid before the House on 24th June, be approved;
§ and
§ That the draft Weights and Measures Act 1963 (Cereal Breakfast Foods and Oat Products) Order 1975, laid before the House on 24th June, be approved.—(Lord Jacques.)
§ 7.38 p.m.
Viscount LONGMy Lords, may I thank the noble Lord, Lord Jacques, for giving us his reasons for the new metrication of packs and for the way he very slowly and kindly allowed us to digest the information. The noble Lord said that it would take approximately two years before this could come about. But would the Government be spending a great deal on advertising—for example, on television and in the Press—so that the public will know that the metrication system is in and will get to know about it? I know that the public have realised that it is coming in, but unless they are aware of all the implications there might be some rather worried housewives.
My second point is that, because machinery for packaging into the metrication system has to be bought, will the Government be giving a loan towards this? The noble Lord would probably agree with me that some of this machinery is very expensive and in these days, with inflation and so on, perhaps the Government could help with this equipment.
On the metrication system, I am sure that we shall all, on this side of the House and within the country, especially those who deal with packaging, be delighted to know that standardisation of this system will be worldwide. The sooner this process is completed, the better. Then all industries dealing with packaging in this regard will indeed be in harmony throughout. I do not think we have anything to be controversial about on this subject. I would only hope that the process can be speeded up. I know that the noble Lord, Lord Jacques, said it would take two years, but the period of transition will be rather an anxious time for those who deal with packaging of certain goods, and so perhaps the situation can be dealt with with all haste.
§ 7.41 p.m.
§ Lord JACQUESMy Lords, so far as advertising is concerned, this is the function of the Metrication Board. There have been full consultations with the Board and arrangements have been made for them to give the publicity. So far as loans are concerned, the costs will lie where they fall and in this respect I would refer the noble Lord to the White Paper of 1972, when the present Government were not in Office. We get over the difficulties so far as machinery is concerned by arranging a date with the industry which will keep their costs at the minimum. In most cases it is arranged so that the change takes effect when new plant would have been installed in any event. In this way the cost is kept to an absolute minimum. But there are no specific loans for the purpose.
§ On Question, Motions agreed to.