§ Mr. Costainasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he is satisfied that metrication in the construction industry is proceeding according to the timetable laid down by his Department's document P.D.6030; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ChannonYes. Progress so far is broadly in line with the construction industry's programme for the change to the metric system which was set out in the British Standards Institution's publication P.D.6030. One of its key provisions is for all design work to be in metric dimensions by the end of 1972. The public sector is well on the way to meeting this requirement, but, according to statistics published by the Royal Institute of British Architects, the value of private sector metric projects which had reached the production drawings stage by the end of September,206W 1970, totalled only £129 million. This represents only 11.5 per cent. of that sector's total design work load as compared with a public sector figure of more than 60 per cent. The professional institutions and my right hon. Friend's National Consultative Council's working party on metrication are fully aware that a special effort is needed in the private sector if the industry's aim of complete metrication of construction by the end of 1973 is to be achieved.
The programme also provides for the metrication of all British Standards for building materials and components by the end of 1972, and for full production in metric dimensions by the end of 1973. The British Standards Institution has recently reported that, while it has not found it possible to maintain the programmed order of completion of the revised standards, it does not consider that this is adversely affecting the changeover in the construction industry. Indeed, almost all the associations representing materials manufacturers have published programmes for the metrication of their products and most of the more important materials are either already metricated or will be available in metric sizes by the end of the year.