Lord Howe of Aberavon
Main Page: Lord Howe of Aberavon (Conservative - Life peer)
Baroness Wilcox
The noble Lord has made himself clear on this subject many times in this House, as he is entitled to do. We know that Northern Ireland can make its own decisions, but the Prime Minister is certain that we should make a change only if there is consensus, and we will work very hard towards achieving that. The noble Lord may of course continue to press this matter, but for the moment the answer is no.
Lord Howe of Aberavon
Is my noble friend the Minister aware that the People’s Republic of China, large as it is, is able to work successfully with a single time zone throughout the entire country? Is it not quite sensible, therefore, that all our European neighbours—with the exception of Portugal—do the same? Would not joining the Central European Time zone be much the most sensible thing for us to do?
Baroness Wilcox
We consult regularly on this. The Central European Time zone, which is the area that we would come into—with France, Germany, Holland and Spain—is one thing, but there are two other zones, which have different times. We are very concerned, as we are a tiny country, not to have too many changes as we cross over borders. That would be far too confusing for business, let alone for everybody else. As far as China is concerned, I do not believe that it is a democracy. People there have this imposed on them and I am not quite sure what the average Chinaman would say if I asked him.