Written question asked by Lord Vinson (Conservative) on Wednesday, 3 February 2021, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 17 February 2021. It was answered by Lord Callanan (Conservative) on Wednesday, 17 February 2021 on behalf of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

Summertime

Question: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to extend British Summer Time; and what assessment they have made of the impact of any such extension on (1) energy consumption, and (2) business productivity.

Answer: The Government believes that the current daylight-saving arrangements represent the optimal use of the available daylight across the UK. We do not believe there is sufficient evidence to support changing the current system of clock changes, including for energy usage. An exceptionally wide-ranging cost benefit analysis would need to be performed to inform a decision on changing the current system, especially given the uncertainty that many businesses are already facing as a result of COVID-19.

Secondary information