Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 May 2013
485. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if any progress has been made or if any matters have recently arisen regarding changing the daylight saving time system here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22906/13]
View answerI wish to refer the Deputy to my reply to Question No. 39 of 24 October, 2012 as follows and to inform him that there have no developments since then in relation to changing our current time zone arrangements.
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Question No. 39 of 24 October, 2012
To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 10 and 16 of 32 June 2011, if he will report any developments or discussions that have occurred since with either his British or European counterparts and arising from this, if he will seek submissions from the public and organisations and State Departments on the implications, benefits or disadvantages to Ireland if our time zone was changed to European time; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Answer
I wish to inform the Deputy that my Department has not held discussions with either our British or other European counterparts in relation to changing our time zone since June 2011.
I can further inform the Deputy that a report entitled Review of the scope, quality and robustness of available evidence regarding putting the clocks forward by one hour, the year round, in the UK was prepared for the United Kingdom's Department for Business Innovation & Skills and published on that Department's website on 13 August, 2012. The report may be accessed via the following link (http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/employment-matters/docs/r/12-1036-review-evidence-putting-clocks-forward).
Finally, I wish to advise the Deputy that I have no plans at this time to seek submissions from the public and organisations and State Departments on the implications, benefits or disadvantages to Ireland in relation to changing our time zone to "European time". However, officials of my Department and the Department of Foreign Affairs are keeping a close watch on the issue and should the position I have outlined change I will review the situation.
