Daylight saving scheme opposed by Scots

The Daylight Saving Bill, which passed its second reading at the House of Commons in December last year, would put the British time one hour in the summer and two hours in the winter ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).

The Bill will now be scrutinised by the Public Bill Committee. The change would mean the British Summer Time (BST) is maintained for winter and a “double summertime” applied in the summer months.

In such circumstances, in John O’Groats, the most northern point of mainland Britain, the sun would not set until after 11 pm in mid-summer but it would not rise until 10 am in mid-winter. One Scottish argument against the notion is that darker mornings will mean more dangerous trips to schools for children.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “Changing the current system of daylight saving would adversely affect Scotland, which is why we oppose it.

“The impact would be felt by rural communities and outdoor workers and businesses, while reduced daylight between 8 am and 9 am in Scotland could potentially increase the danger for children travelling to school in the dark.”

However, a report by Dr Mayer Hillman of the Policy Studies Institute points out that road crashes are more likely to occur during the evening peak and extending the daylight hours would actually result in reduction in road accidents in Scotland.

The report also finds that in Scotland, the change would mean that children would gain about 200 daylight hours yearly, with roughly half of these falling on school days, whilst adults in nine-to-five-employment would earn almost 300 additional hours of daylight per year.

The plans to change the UK time were made to improve tourism. Malcolm Roughead, chief executive of VisitScotland, told The Journal: “We welcome the debate on daylight saving and what the potential changes could mean for Scottish tourism.

"However, we also appreciate that this is not just about tourism and that there are wider concerns surrounding the proposals. We will continue to seek the views of Scottish tourism businesses on daylight saving.”

The change was made twice in the past, first during World War II to maximise productivity in factories and ensure people got home safely before the blackout, and again between 1968 and 1971. That time it ended with complaints in Scotland and Northern England, many related to an increased number of deaths on the roads during dark mornings. David Cameron is said to only approve the plan if it is clear that it is supported by the British citizens.

However, a Scottish Government spokesman told The Journal: “The Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead has previously written to the UK Environment and Rural Affairs Minister to make his concerns clear, and received reassurances that the UK government had no plans to review current arrangements.”