Central European Time (Hansard, 29 June 1992)

Viscount Astor
My Lords, the options for future summer time arrangements are under consideration. We shall need to take account, among other things, of a review of summer time which we understand is soon to be undertaken by the European Commission.

§ Viscount Mountgarret
My Lords, does my noble friend agree that this matter has been under consideration for a considerable length of time? Would it not be desirable for it to be considered firmly and then dispensed with one way or the other, so that we at least know where we all are?

Viscount Astor
My Lords, negotiations with our European partners on a directive for dates of summer time for 1995 and beyond are expected to begin around the middle of next year. We understand that, prior to that, the European Commission intends to conduct a wide-ranging review of possible options for future summer time arrangements in Europe. Therefore, it would be premature for us to take any final decision on the way forward until we know in what direction the Commission is moving.

§ Lord Tordoff
My Lords, does the noble Viscount agree that his noble friend did not quite get that right? We would not know where we are—we would know when we were.

Viscount Astor
My Lords, that might easily be the case. But at the moment we know that we are Greenwich Mean Time plus one hour.

§ Lord Morris of Castle Morris
My Lords, apart from representations from the agricultural industry, whose interests are concerned in this Question, have the Government received any strong representations from other organisations or influential bodies in this country advocating an immediate change?

Viscount Astor
My Lords, the responses to the Green Paper showed significant support for a move to single double summer time in England and Wales. However, strong feelings were expressed against the move, particularly in Scotland.

§ Lord Monson
My Lords, does the noble Viscount agree that the main argument against our adopting Central European Time is that Britain is by no stretch of the imagination geographically located in central Europe?

Viscount Astor
My Lords, there are arguments both ways, as your Lordships have pointed out. There are advantages in terms of business and communications. There are also disadvantages in that in the winter it would be somewhat darker in the mornings.

§ Lord John-Mackie
My Lords, does the Minister agree that if it is impossible to get people to rise an hour earlier in the morning and make use of the daylight there is no other option but to put the hour on at the other end?

Viscount Astor
My Lords, there are as many diverse opinions on this matter as there are on any such matter. That is why we are conducting a considerable review on the subject.

§ Lord Skelmersdale
My Lords, my noble friend mentioned the advantages to business of moving to a common EC time. Can he tell me why this has not been done already under the Treaty of Rome; in particular, under the arrangements for 1993?

Viscount Astor
My Lords, as I said, we published a Green Paper and there has been substantial further public discussion. We understand that the Commission will review its summer and winter time arrangements. Therefore, it would be premature for us to take action until we knew what the Commission was doing because the result might he that our timetable would have to change perhaps twice a year against European time as opposed to once a year.

§ Lord Annan
My Lords, can the noble Viscount explain how it is possible for the European Community to know what to do until it has some inkling about what we want to do?

Viscount Astor
My Lords, we shall certainly be making strong representations to our partners in Europe on this subject. We shall certainly not take any rushed decision on what time it is in London, in Brussels, or wherever.

§ Lord Constantine of Stanmore
My Lords, is the Minister aware that since the publication of the Green Paper there have been many representations from very substantial bodies ranging from the RAC to British Airways—from the ground upward—requesting some decision to be made on this issue to enable them to plan at least for next summer, if not for this one?

Viscount Astor
My Lords, we shall not take any action that will affect summer time for next summer because people need substantial notice; for example, people who produce diaries. Road safety is one of the many aspects that have to be considered in the light of any possible change. It was suggested by evidence in the Green Paper that road safety might improve. But there was concern in Scotland regarding the dark mornings.

§ Lady Saltoun of Abernethy
My Lords, is the noble Viscount aware that the north of Scotland in particular is a very long way north of central Europe? Does he recollect that when double summer time, as we called it, was tried in Scotland on an experimental basis some years ago it was extremely unpopular?

Viscount Astor
My Lords, I understand that it was not popular in some places. We believe that Scotland and England should have the same time. The Standard British Time experiment took place between 1968 and 1971 and there were arguments for and against the system.

§ Baroness Strange
My Lords, does my noble friend agree that Greenwich Mean Time is a matter for subsidiarity?

Viscount Astor
My Lords, not necessarily.

§ Lord Elton
My Lords, if Europe expands to the east, is the prospect that the centre of Europe will also move to the east and that we shall have to rise earlier and earlier the more successful the Government are with the policy?

Viscount Astor
My Lords, there is not just one time in Europe; for example, this country and Portugal are on Greenwich Mean Time, most other EC countries are on Central European Time, but Greece is on Central European Time plus one