Deirdre Clune (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Minister made the reasons behind his decision clear on RTE last Thursday night; I was watching.

I would like to raise the issue of the clocks going back an hour on Sunday morning according to daylight saving time. I acknowledge Senator Conway raised the issue yesterday but this change is inconvenient and confusing and I wonder what it is worth. This time last year, a Bill passed Second Stage in the House of Commons which asked the British Government to examine this issue. We should also engage in such a process. The reason for these changes goes back to end of the First World War when adequate daylight for rebuilding across Europe was needed. However, nowadays, we have street lighting and every house has electricity and, therefore, we do not need an additional hour in the morning. It is also important to examine this issue from a leisure point of view and from the point of view of those doing business across Europe as it would avoid confusion and make life easier for them. An additional hour's daylight at the weekend would be good for sports participation, walking, gardening and other outdoor pursuits while more light in the evenings would make more sense for children and, in particular, elderly people who are confined to their homes. I am not sure whether the Minister for Justice and Equality or the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government has responsibility in this regard but will the Leader schedule a debate on this? We should consider this in order that we do not return to this again this time next year with a Member raising it on the Order of Business. We should get to grips with it and examine whether daylight saving time serves a purpose in 2012.