I move:
That Seanad Éireann approves the following Order:
Winter Time Order, 1992.
Winter Time Order, 1992: Motion.
A Chathaoirligh, thank you for the opportunity to speak briefly on this matter. This Order is in effect EC Directive 92/20 and by complying with it we are actually extending winter time by a week. Rather than extending winter time we should extend summer time. People working in factories or offices who are involved in sport and sportsmen and women, people who go training, gardeners, etc., would benefit from this additional hour of daylight. I know many people involved in sport who do not start training until the middle of May or June. We should use our influence in Europe to get unanimity on this measure within the EC.
The order raised some important elements that should be brought to the attention of the Minister for Justice. The first is that while winter time ends in a synchronised manner in the rest of Europe, it does not begin in a synchronised manner. We have a crazy situation every year for three or four weeks when winter begins in September in mainland Europe whereas in Ireland and the UK it starts a few weeks later and it is almost impossible to synchronise our situation with main land Europe during those three weeks. My second point is a wider issue. I believe the time has come for us to join central European time instead of being out of step with the rest of Europe. The fact that we are an hour out of step makes it much more difficult for us to sell to Europe. It means our offices lose time on telephones contacting them because we cannot contact them at the beginning or end of each day and it makes it more difficult for business people to travel from Ireland to Europe. In short, being an hour behind adds to our peripheral position which is already a disadvantage; not only does it not help us but it adds to our disadvantage in that area. Changing the time would bring us other benefit as well. As Senator Enright said there would be longer evenings throughout the year, savings on energy costs and a reduction in road accidents. These benefits were all demonstrated in the experiment that took place in the 1960s, but unfortunately the figures were misunderstood in Britain and we fell into line behind her. Twenty years later we are much more a part of Europe. We are much more ready to take a step out of the nursery and away from nanny for a change. I suggest that we take the lead in bringing our clocks into line with mainland Europe and I am sure if we do so the British will follow us on this occasion. I hope the Minister for Justice will take that into account in urging us to link with mainland Europe in future rather than automatically following our neighbour.
I support the general thrust of what Senators Enright and Quinn have said and I remind the House that the origin of this anachronism is historic in that we were linked to Britain. I am not so sure that what Senator Quinn said in relation to the UK following us if we were to change to central European time is true, mainly because there is a very powerful farming lobby mainly centred in the northern part of the UK where they say there would be disparities and it would not be helpful in the agricultural sector. However, I felt that the occasion should not be allowed to pass without supporting the general thrust of the argument put forward by my colleagues on the other side of the House. This area should be addressed as a matter of urgency in the context of this Order and any future order coming before the House. We should conform to central European time because the benefits as outlined by Senator Enright in particular are very obvious.
I will take a note of the comments made by Senators Enright, Quinn and Mooney and pass them on to the Minister for Justice.
Question put and agreed to.