Summer Time Act 1972

1972 CHAPTER 6

An Act to consolidate the enactments relating to summer time.

[10th February 1972]

Be it enacted by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—

1 Advance of time during period of summer time.

(1) Subject to section 2 below, the time for general purposes in Great Britain shall, during the period of summer time, be one hour in advance of Greenwich mean time.

(2) Subject to section 2 below, the period of summer time for the purposes of this Act is the period beginning at two o'clock, Greenwich mean time, in the morning of the day after the third Saturday in March or, if that day is Easter Day, the day after the second Saturday in March, and ending at two o'clock, Greenwich mean time, in the morning of the day after the fourth Saturday in October.

2 Extension of period, and double summer time.

(1) In relation to any year Her Majesty may by Order in Council direct—

(a) that the period of summer time for the purposes of this Act shall be such period as may be specified in the Order instead of the period specified in section 1 above;

(b) that the time for general purposes in Great Britain shall, during any part of the period of summer time, be two hours instead of one hour in advance of Greenwich mean time.

(2) An Order in Council made under this section may be revoked or varied by a subsequent Order so made.

(3) No Order in Council shall be made under this section unless, after copies of the draft thereof have been laid before Parliament, each House presents an Address to Her Majesty praying that the Order be made.

3 Interpretation of references.

(1) Subject to subsection (2) below, wherever any reference to a point of time occurs in any enactment, Order in Council, order, regulation, rule, byelaw, deed, notice or other document whatsoever, the time referred to shall, during the period of summer time, be taken to be the time as fixed for general purposes by or under this Act.

(2) Nothing in this Act shall affect the use of Greenwich mean time for purposes of astronomy, meteorology, or navigation, or affect the construction of any document mentioning or referring to a point of time in connection with any of those purposes.

4 Northern Ireland.

(1) This Act shall apply to Northern Ireland in like manner as it applies to Great Britain.

(2) For the purposes of section 6 of the [1920 c. 67.] Government of Ireland Act 1920 this Act in its application to Northern Ireland shall be deemed to be an Act passed before the appointed day.

5 Channel Islands and Isle of Man.

(1) Unless other provision is made by a law of the States of Jersey or of Guernsey or by an Act of Tynwald, as the case may be, this Act shall, subject to subsection (2) below, apply to the Bailiwick of Jersey, the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Isle of Man in like manner as it applies to Great Britain.

(2) An Order in Council made under section 2 above may make different provision with respect to Great Britain and with respect to the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man or any of them.

6 Short title, commencement, repeals and saving.

(1) This Act may be cited as the Summer Time Act 1972.

(2) This Act shall come into force at the expiration of the period of one month beginning with the date on which it is passed.

(3) The Summer Time Acts 1922 to 1947 and the [1968 c. 45.] British Standard Time Act 1968 are hereby repealed (but the repeal of the British Standard Time Act 1968 does not affect the operation of the enactments revived by Schedule 1 to that Act and not repealed by this Act, that is to say the [1880 c. 9 (43 & 44 Vict.).] Statutes (Definition of Time) Act 1880, the [1916 c. 45.] Time (Ireland) Act 1916, the [1924 c. 24 (N.I.).] Time Act (Northern Ireland) 1924 and section 39(1) of the [1954 c. 33 (N.I.).] Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954).

(4) Nothing in this Act affects the Manx Time Act 1968 (which is an Act of Tynwald providing that the time for general purposes in the Isle of Man shall be the same as in Great Britain).