Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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Question 270: To ask the Minister for Justice and Law Reform if he has contacted his counterpart in the British Government on current UK proposals to move to central European time; if so, if he will indicate the status of this proposal and whether the British Home Secretary has indicated to him the likely timeframe for the implementation of this proposal; his views on the likely impact of the abolition of winter time on the Republic of Ireland, especially in the Border region; if he will ask an Oireachtas committee to prepare an urgent study on this matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41225/10]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I can inform the Deputy that my Department, in accordance with EU Directive 2000/84/EC, compiled and communicated submissions in respect of this issue to the European Commission from a number of relevant Departments and semi-state bodies in July 2007.

Following consideration of the information made available to it from Member States, the European Commission reported that it took the view that the analysis set out in the proposal for the directive remained valid and that no member state had expressed a wish to abandon summer time or change the provisions of the current directive. Accordingly, I can advise the Deputy that there are no plans to change the present summer time arrangements.

I also wish to inform the Deputy that I have not had discussions with the British Government regarding proposals to change their time zone to central European time.