SUMMER TIME ORDER, 1952 (Hansard, 19 February 1952)

§ THE LORD CHANCELLOR (LORD SIMONDS)

My Lords, the purpose of the Order in Council referred to in the Motion standing in my name is to provide that the period of Summer Time this year shall extend from April 20 to October 26. As your Lordships may be aware, under the Summer Time Acts of 1922 and 1925, the Summer Time period would have been from April 20 to October 5, but under the Summer Time Act of 1947 that period can be varied by Order in Council, and it proposed to vary it by an extension for a further period of three weeks to the time that I have indicated. Since the 1947 Act was passed it has, in fact, been necessary on every occasion to provide for an extension of Summer Time beyond the statutory period, the reason being the urgency of the need to save fuel. Her Majesty's Government regret that they have had to come to the same conclusion this year: the urgency of that need is no less. Although the Government are well aware of the inconvenience which it causes to some industries, and particularly to agriculture, the need to conserve fuel has been paramount. The extension this year is the same as that of last year except in this respect: that last year the period of three weeks was divided up, the period beginning one week earlier and extending for two weeks later. This year the whole of the three weeks is put at the end of the statutory period. The reason for this is that if the precedent of last year were followed, the first day for Summer Time would be Easter Day, and it is thought undesirable to make the change on that day. I beg to move.