Four weeks of summer could have been lost

EEC STANDARDS:IRELAND COULD have lost up to four weeks of summer time if a government decision to concede to a European Economic Community (EEC) plan had gone ahead, State papers for 1981 show.

The papers, contained in a file from the Department of the Taoiseach, show the government instructed an Irish delegation in Brussels to “hold out as long as possible against any diminution in the summer-time period”, but to agree to the proposed changes if general agreement was reached among all other member states, including the UK.

The EEC proposal, which attempted to standardise the beginning and end of summer time across Europe, would have meant clocks would go forward by one hour in all countries on the last Sunday in March and back on the second Sunday in October. The start time was also to be changed to 1am.

The aim was to co-ordinate time across the EEC to improve the efficiency of transport, communications and commerce.

Up to 1981, summer time began in Ireland and Britain at 2am “on the Sunday following the third Saturday in March”, according to a memorandum for government dated October 21st, 1981.

Summer time ended “on the Sunday following the fourth Saturday in October”. The EEC proposal would have shortened Irish and British summer time by three weeks in most years and by four weeks in some.

The memo said the department of industry and energy found the loss of two weeks in October would necessitate earlier lighting- up time and would consume 300 tonnes of extra oil a week, worth £50,000.

Although the file did not detail the results of the Brussels negotiation, summer time since 1981 has begun on the last Sunday in March.

It was not until 1998 though that a final end date was settled on – the fourth Sunday in October.