HC Deb 16 December 1968 vol 775 cc310-1W
Mr. Chichester-Clark

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works whether he will now make a statement about the representations made to him about the introduction of British Standard Time by the construction industry as a whole, concerning which the industries have written to him in connection with his announcement on 3rd December.

Mr. Gordon Campbell

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works what representations he received from the building industry on British Standard Time in 1966, when the proposal to institute it was considered, and subsequently.

Mr. Jopling

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works whether he will set out in the OFFICIAL REPORT details of the representations made to him by the construction industries about British Standard Time.

Mr. Mellish

In 1966, the opinions were sought of the National Federation of Building Trades Employers, the Federation of Civil Engineering Contractors, the Federation of Associations of Specialists and Sub-Contractors, the National Federation of Building Trades Operatives, the Civil Engineering Construction Conciliation Board (Operatives' Side), the Royal Institute of British Architects, the Institute of Civil Engineering, the Association of Consulting Engineers, the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors and the Federated Quarry Owners of Great Britain. My predecessor also sought the opinion of his Winter Building Advisory Committee.

No concensus of views emerged from these consultations. The Winter Building Advisory Committee came down in favour of the move to Central European Time (now B.S.T.) by a slight majority. The N.F.B.T.E. and the F.C.E.C. opposed the change, the former taking the view that costs might be increased by as much as 1 or 1½ per cent., the latter refraining from putting a figure on costs. The N.F.B.T.O. fully supported the change, as did the Federation of Associations of Specialists and Sub-Contractors, and their Scottish colleagues at that time, and support was forthcoming also from a majority of the interests represented in the Federated Quarry Owners of Great Britain. The other bodies listed above either did not reply or did not wish to express a view.

I have received no representation on this matter from the N.F.B.T.E. this year, during or since the passage of the relevant legislation, until I heard from its President that my reply on the 3rd December (Vol. 774, c. 1222) has given rise to the impression that that body had not opposed B.S.T. I have never suggested that the Federation has at any time indicated its support of this measure.

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