BRITISH SUMMER TIME (Hansard, 6 May 1975)

§ Mr. David James (Dorset, North)

Ibeg to move, That leave be given to bring in a Bill to amend the law relating to British Summer Time. The purpose of my Bill is simple. It seeks to reduce the period during which GMT operates in the winter from 19 to 14 weeks. The point is so simple that I shall not need even 10 minutes of the time of the House in which to make it clear.

The House of Commons has been playing with the clock for many years. The first attempt to introduce British summer time was made in 1908 and was thrown out on the farming vote on the grounds that the cows would not understand it. However, during the 1914–1918 war, British summer time was introduced and the cows did not appear to have any difficulty. Between the wars we went over to our current system of part GMT, part BST. In the Second World War we went over to double summer time, which suggests that there are considerable economic grounds for having as much summer time as possible. Thereafter we reverted to the previous system until 1968, when there was a growing feeling that with our ties with Europe and so on—I do not wish to tread on dangerous ground—it would be convenient to go on to British summer time, which is the same as European standard time.

After three years it was found that that arrangements was not convenient to farmers and horticulturists and that many mothers with children at school—children who had to be seen off to school in the dark—were apprehensive. Therefore, on 2nd December 1970, by a free vote of 366 votes to 81, the House opted to return to GMT, that is winter time, during the winter period.

I remember that there were speeches from both sides of the House—indeed, I made one myself—urging the Secretary of State of the day not to go back to the 4½ to 5-month period which had been prevalent but merely to trim the gloomy period when the country was in winter time to the minimum necessary to achieve the objectives of the one-hour saving which is what our farmers wanted.

1223 I have been hammering away at this with successive Governments for four years by means of parliamentary Questions, private letters and so on, and still I do not understand the formula adopted by the Home Office. The nearest indication that I can give as to its meaning is that winter time comes in on the Sunday before the Queen's Speech and goes out on the Sunday after the Calcutta Cup.

These matters need not be settled by reference to solemn occasions. I prefer to look at the Nautical Almanac to see what is involved. Luckily, right hon. and hon. Members need not refer to the Nautical Almanac because we are all given Letts' Diary. If they look at the Saturday entry and remember to add or subtract two minutes as may be, they can do their own sums.

This year, we went over to summer time on 16th March, when the sun rose at 6.15 a.m. Remembering that sunrise on the shortest day was at six minutes past eight, therefore the moment that we fall back to six minutes past seven, that would be the right time to go over. We could have gone over to summer time on 24th February when the time of sunrise was four minutes past seven. That would have represented a three-week gain for those people with outside interests in the spring.

In the autumn, similarly, we go over to winter time this year on 26th October when the sun will rise at 7.43 a.m. But why not leave it until 9th November when the sun will rise at seven minutes past seven? This would give another two weeks in the autumn.

I might add that this general argument holds good throughout the whole of the United Kingdom at least up to the Glasgow-Edinburgh belt. Although, as is well known, the hours are shorter in Scotland in the winter, the gain, so to speak, is correspondingly great, give or 1224 take a couple of minutes. This proposition holds good throughout the United Kingdom.

The formula that I have in mind will still meet the requirements of farmers, horticulturists and anxious mothers with children going to school. It will at the same time meet the real and reasonable demands of sportsmen, gardeners, fishermen and everyone who enjoys outdoor recreation in the late autumn and in the early spring. The present Minister responsible for sport spoke eloquently in support of these people in 1970.

I believe, too, that in these rather gloomy days it will be a psychological boost to us all if the winter is shorter. There will also be a considerable economy in the consumption of fuel, although I have no means of qualifying that.

This Bill is concerned only with the happiness and convenience of people. It is of a non-doctrinaire character. The Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department indicated that if the Bill did not run into unexpected pockets of opposition it would be considered seriously, if not favourably.

On these grounds, I beg to ask leave to introduce the Bill.