SUMMER TIME: RESPONSES TO GREEN PAPER (Hansard, 20 June 1990)

§ Viscount Ullswater

Thirty thousand, eight hundred and sixty-seven responses have been received following publication of the Green Paper, of which 26,029 were in the form of signatories to petitions. Excluding signatories to petitions, 50 per cent. were in favour of moving into Central European Time (single "summer" time in the winter, double "summer" time in the summer until the beginning of October), 46 per cent. were in favour of the status quo, and 4 per cent. were in favour of harmonising summer time along with other EC countries (in effect finishing summer time one month early). Of the signatories to the petitions, 22,684 were in support of Central European Time and 3,345 were against change. The response in England and Wales was very different from that in Scotland. Fifty-nine per cent. of letters and 100 per cent. of signatories to petitions from England and Wales supported Central European Time; 90 per cent. of letters and 80 per cent. of signatories to petitions from Scotland supported the status quo. Only 10 responses were received from Northern Ireland. A detailed breakdown of the responses is being placed in the Library.