§ Mr. Eldon Griffithsasked the Lord Privy Seal why it was decided to require all applicants for passports to state their height in metres and centimetres instead of feet and inches; if, in imposing this rule, the unfamiliarity with the metric system of numerous immigration officers in English-speaking countries where British citizens travel was taken into account; and for what reason applicants may not identify their height by measurements that are both lawful and generally familiar in the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. LuceAs it had been Government policy since 1950 gradually to switch to metric units, a decision to show the holder's height in a passport in metres rather than feet and inches was made in 1975. However, passport application forms still include a conversion table.
The majority of other countries are accustomed to metric measurements and passport holders have not encountered any difficulties at frontier crossings as a result of the change.
It would cause confusion to show in a passport the holder's height in both metric and imperial measurements.