§ Mr. Carterasked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection what effect the EEC directive on units of measurement will have on United Kingdom legislation concerning prescribed imperial quantities for foodstuffs and other goods.
Mr. Alan WilliamsFrom the date when this directive generally comes into effect we shall be obliged not to discriminate against packages designated in metric quantities, though we retain the right to require an imperial marking in addition. It is therefore important that we should by then have reached agreement on the most appropriate metric quantities for the sale of these goods. In consultation with the Commission and other member States it has become clear that they regard the periods of time quoted in Article 1(1) and Article 4(1) of this directive as being consecutive rather than concurrent: hence the operative date is April 1978, not October 1976.