Explanatory note

These Regulations implement the amendments made by Directive 1999/103/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (OJ L34, 9.2.2000 p.17) to Council Directive 80/181/EEC (OJ L39, 15.2.80, p40) (“the Directive”) which relates to the use of units of measurement for economic, public health, public safety or administrative purposes.

These Regulations amend the Weights and Measures Act 1985 by inserting a deadline of 31 December 2009 for the end of the authorised use of supplementary indications in conjunction with metric units. The Regulations amend the Units of Measurement Regulations 1986 by inserting the same deadline. The Regulations also make various technical changes in order to bring the 1986 Regulations in line with the list of SI prefixes to be used for multiples and submultiples of SI units which was agreed at the 19th Conférence Générale des Poids et Mesures (1991) and the revised principles and rules regarding quanitities and units as laid down in the international standard ISO 31. ISO 31 is reproduced in BS 5775 (fourteen parts):

Copies of the above can be obtained from any of the sales outlets operated by the British Standards Institute (BSI) or by post from BSI at Milton Keynes.

These Regulations are brought into force on 8th February 2001.

A Regulatory Impact Assessment of the costs and benefits which will result from these Regulations has been prepared. Copies have been placed in the libraries of both Houses of Parliament and can also be obtained from the Consumer Affairs Directorate of the Department of Trade and Industry, Room 460, 1 Victoria Street, London SW1H 0ET.