Re: [LEAPSECS] Draft Questionnaire

From: Joseph S. Myers <jsm28_at_CAM.AC.UK>
Date: Sat, 18 Jan 2003 23:01:20 +0000 (GMT)

On Sat, 18 Jan 2003, John Cowan wrote:

> So UK legal time is tied to the LMT of Greenwich itself?

Yes. Interpretation Act 1978 (or for full historical details
<http://www.srcf.ucam.org/~jsm28/british-time/>). Lord Tanlaw's proposal
to change to UTC in 1997
<http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld199798/ldhansrd/vo970611/text/70611-10.htm#70611-10_head0>
failed for lack of Parliamentary time, the Government being officially
neutral on the matter. I expect there are many other countries that have
not seen the need to change their law on this matter since they adopted
GMT-based time in the days before UTC (though e.g. France has adopted UTC,
replacing a time equivalent to GMT but described as Paris mean time
retarded by a certain number of minutes and seconds - see Howse).

--
Joseph S. Myers
jsm28_at_cam.ac.uk
Received on Sat Jan 18 2003 - 15:11:28 PST

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