The Retained EU Law Bill (REUL) Bill was scheduled for its Report Stage on Wednesday 19 April 2023. The Government has delayed the return of the REUL Bill. No new date has been set for the Report Stage. The Bill could be postponed for a long time, possibly beyond the next general election. After facing cross-party opposition from peers in the House of Lords, the Government is now considering what concessions to make on this Bill.
Continue reading “Government retreats on REUL Bill”Author: Ronnie Cohen
Questions Government must answer about imperial units consultation
In June 2022, UKMA member Martin Vlietstra responded to the Government’s Imperial Units survey and downloaded his responses. Just over a week later, he downloaded his responses again and found that one of his responses seemed to have been changed behind his back and the option he picked to one question was removed. Despite the fact that the imperial units consultation ended on 26 August 2022, the Government have not yet published their analysis of the responses. When they do, they must answer some awkward questions about their botched consultation.
Continue reading “Questions Government must answer about imperial units consultation”PHSO initial response to my complaint about BEIS
After I exhausted the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s (BEIS) complaints procedure and they failed to acknowledge or do anything about their misleading imperial units consultation document or biased survey, I sent off my BEIS complaints form dated 31 October 2022 to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) via my MP. After many months, I got an initial response.
Continue reading “PHSO initial response to my complaint about BEIS”Metric measurements in airport rules
Following on from the previous MV article about the 100 ml liquid rule, we look at other airport regulations that involve measurements. Where measurements are involved, they tend to be expressed in the metric system, which is used worldwide. Metric units are used in airport regulations around the world. Here, we focus on rules at British airports.
Continue reading “Metric measurements in airport rules”London City Airport recently scrapped 100 ml liquid rule, which still applies in airports worldwide.
On 4 April 2023, London City Airport scrapped the 100 ml liquid rule. 1 Since 2006, airports worldwide have insisted that travellers can only bring liquids in containers of up to 100 ml in their carry-on bag. 2 These days, we take it for granted that the 100 ml limit for liquids at international airports around the world is exactly the same quantity. This is a triumph for the metric system, which replaced many different national systems long ago. Before the metric system, the same unit names were used for different quantities in different national measurement systems and there was no common definition for these units. The worldwide 100 ml liquid rule shows the benefits of a world standard measurement system for international travellers (i.e., the metric system).
Continue reading “London City Airport recently scrapped 100 ml liquid rule, which still applies in airports worldwide.”Recent YouGov survey on attitudes to metrication of road transport
On 4 April 2023, YouGov carried out a survey of 4808 British adults about changing the rules around speed and distance in the UK from miles to kilometres. It revealed insights on different attributes based on region, politics, and age.
Continue reading “Recent YouGov survey on attitudes to metrication of road transport”Why the Metric Martyrs were wrong
Over twenty years ago, a group of market traders were prosecuted for using imperial measures (without showing the equivalent in metric units) and using unauthorised scales that could only measure in imperial units. Newspapers called this group the Metric Martyrs after Chris Howell, then weights and measures spokesman for the Institute of Trading Standards Administration (today the Trading Standards Institute), said that they could martyr themselves if they wanted to. As Ministers are thinking about allowing traders to choose imperial or metric units, we look at what is wrong with the Metric Martyrs’ arguments for freedom of choice in measurement usage.
Continue reading “Why the Metric Martyrs were wrong”City of London’s 15 mph plan was another missed opportunity to introduce km/h
Between 2019 and 2022, the City of London planned to become the first UK region with a 15-mph speed limit. This plan was blocked by the Department for Transport because speedometers are not accurate enough for low speeds. It meant that it was not technically possible. Like the mass rollout of the 20-mph speed limit, the plan for a 15-mph speed limit across the City of London was another missed opportunity to introduce km/h speed limits.
Continue reading “City of London’s 15 mph plan was another missed opportunity to introduce km/h”Proposed congestion charging per mile
The London Assembly Transport Committee recently held a Road User Charging public consultation between 9 February 2023 and 10 March 2023. Under these plans, drivers in London could be charged for every mile they drive. This anti-pollution measure is mile-based whereas emissions levels are kilometre-based.
Continue reading “Proposed congestion charging per mile”Should the NHS do more to encourage patients to use metric?
Sometimes, the NHS needs to measure patients’ weight and height. The NHS records their weight and height internally in metric units but often tells the patients their weight and height in imperial units, which is preferred by the vast majority of Britons. This requires conversions. During the pandemic, the Government used metres exclusively for social distancing information. We use grams and kilograms for recipes, food purchases and the gym. We are all familiar with these units. So why does the NHS convert from metres to feet and inches and from kilograms to stones and pounds for its patients?
Continue reading “Should the NHS do more to encourage patients to use metric?”
Metric Views 