The Government is
to consider supporting the Daylight Savings Private Members Bill
which could eventually mean the advancing of time by one hour
throughout the year across the country for a trial period, but
only if there is UK wide consensus.
The Government is seeking amendments to the Bill, at the
forthcoming Committee stage in the House of Commons, expected in
early November. The Bill will need to be passed by both Houses by
the end of the first session of Parliament, which ends in April
2012.
The most notable of these amendments will be to require the
Secretary of State to consult the devolved administrations in
Scotland and Wales and to obtain the agreement of the devolved
administration in Northern Ireland to any proposed trial. The
Government would not, however, expect to introduce a trial if
there was clear opposition in any part of the UK.
The Bill as drafted would require a review of the potential costs
and benefits of advancing the clocks by one hour. It would then
require the Secretary of State to bring forward legislation in
Parliament to implement a trial advancement of the clocks by one
hour, if a new Independent Commission concluded, in the light of
the evidence, that this would be beneficial. Any trial would then
last three years.
Further amendments to be tabled include changing the Independent
Commission to an Independent Oversight Group who would advise the
Secretary of State on the preparation of any report.
Business Minister Edward Davey said:
“This is an issue which affects everyone across the country so we
cannot rush head first into this. As the Prime Minister has made
clear we would need consensus from the devolved administrations if
any change were to take place. We have therefore tabled amendments
to the current Bill to make sure that it addresses these concerns.
“It is only right that we at least look at what the potential
economic and social benefits of any change might be. Lower road
deaths, reduced carbon dioxide emissions and improved health have
all been argued over the years as possible benefits. If there is
strong evidence to support this then we should at least see what
the possible benefits are.”
This year, British Summer Time (BST) will end on Sunday 30
October at 2.00 am GMT throughout European Union Member States.
The clocks go back giving an extra hour. This means that at 2.00
am (British Summer Time) the UK will move to 1.00 am GMT.
Notes to editors:
Rebecca Harris MP introduced the Private Members Bill on 30 June
2010 to ‘require the Secretary of State to conduct a
cross-Departmental analysis of the potential costs and benefits of
advancing time by one hour for all, or for part of the year’ and
‘to require the Secretary of State to take certain action in the
light of that analysis; and for connected purposes.’ The Bill
passed Second Reading in the House of Commons on 3 December
2010.The 9th European Commission Directive on summer time
harmonised, for an indefinite period, the dates on which summer
time begins and ends across member states as the last Sundays in
March and October respectively. Under the Directive, summer time
begins and ends at 1.00 am GMT in each Member State. Amendments to
the Summer Time Act to implement the Directive came into force on
11 March 2002.Time zones are the responsibility of individual
Member States and vary across the EU. The devolution arrangements
for time zones are asymmetric – responsibility is devolved in
Northern Ireland but reserved in Scotland and Wales. Accordingly,
for any daylight saving trial consultation will be needed with the
devolved executives in Scotland and Wales and the consent of the
executive in Northern Ireland will also be required.The Crown
Dependencies (the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man) are not
part of the United Kingdom and have power to pass separate
legislation relating to time in their particular areas.
Nevertheless, as any daylight saving trial would be likely to have
a substantial impact on the Crown Dependencies they are being kept
informed and their views on any change would be
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