§ Mr. Moateasked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection if she will confirm that the Government have no intention of introducing metrication for speed limits, for beer and spirits and for milk.
Mr. Alan WilliamsNo. The general obligations under EEC legislation require that all these items should be metricated by the end of 1979. The metric sizes that will be adopted for retail sales of beer, spirits and milk have not yet been settled. Special derogations beyond the general implementation date 31st December 1979 will be sought in relation to speed limits and the sale of draught beer.
§ Mr. Moateasked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection what obligations exist under the Common Market legislation for the Government to introduce metrication generally and specifically with regard to milk, beers and spirits or speed limits.
Mr. Alan WilliamsUnder the terms of the EEC Units of Measurement Directive made in 1971 to which we subscribe under the Treaty of Accession, the United Kingdom is obliged to adopt the metric (SI) system for all purposes after 31st418W December 1979 and generally to cease using imperial units after the same date. We will also be obliged by April 1978 not to discriminate against metric pre-packages originating in other member states.
The EEC Directive concerned with the prepackaging of liquids such as milk, beer and spirits will similarly mean that after 31st December 1979 at the latest United Kingdom bottlers of these liquids who wish to make the most of the export markets represented by other member States will have to pack in certain prescribed metric sizes. There is no general obligation on United Kingdom to adopt these sizes for United Kingdom internal trade, although manufacturers may wish to do so in some cases to obtain the full benefits of standardisation and the lower costs resulting from it.
A special derogation beyond 31st December 1979 will be sought for the sale of draught beer. Similar special derogations will be sought before 31st December 1979 from the obligations imposed by the Units of Measurement Directive extending the use of metric units on road signs and speed limit signs.