[LEAPSECS] ITU-R SG7 to consider UTC on October 4

[Clive D.W. Feather]

ashtongj said:

> McCarthy and Seidelmann, on page 17 of _TIME: From Earth Rotation to 

> Atomic Physics_  (2009) state "GMT is still used as the official time 

> scale of the United Kingdom and in some communication systems as UTC."


Interpretation Act 1978, s.9:

    [References to time of day.] Subject to section 3 of the Summer Time Act
    1972 (construction of references to points of time during the period of
    summer time), whenever an expression of time occurs in an Act, the time
    referred to shall, unless it is otherwise specifically stated, be held to
    be Greenwich mean time.

It also appears that time is not a reserved matter, so:

Interpretation and Legislative Reform (Scotland) Act 2010, s.23:

    (1) An expression of time that occurs in an Act of the Scottish
    Parliament or a Scottish instrument is to be read as a reference to
    Greenwich mean time.
    (2) Subsection (1) is subject to section 3 of the Summer Time Act 1972
    (c.6)(construction of references to points of time during the period
    of summer time).

Finally:

Summer Time Act 1972. I shall quote the entire Act as currently in force
except for s.6, which is the admin part.

    1. [Advance of time during period of summer time.]
    (1) 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) The period of summer time for the purposes of this Act is the
    period beginning at one o'clock, Greenwich mean time, in the morning
    of the last Sunday in March and ending at one o'clock, Greenwich mean
    time, in the morning of the last Sunday in October.

    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 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.

    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.

(Interesting observation: s.5(2) has not been repealed even though it only
relates to powers in s.2, which *has* been repealed.)


> I have also read, although I do not recall exactly where, that the UK 

> Parliament debated changing the law to specify that the basis of time 

> was UTC, but in the end no action was taken.


That's correct, though I can't easily provide a cite.

-- 
Clive D.W. Feather          | If you lie to the compiler,
Email: clive at davros.org     | it will get its revenge.
Web: http://www.davros.org  |   - Henry Spencer
Mobile: +44 7973 377646