Central European Time

My Lords, I am grateful to my noble friend Lord Montgomery for introducing this debate. I warmly welcome him back in your Lordships’ House. My noble friend has a long-standing reputation in this House for being an expert on Latin America, but he has been a seasoned campaigner in calling for adopting Central European Time. I commend him for the clarity with which he presented the case for change and declare right at the outset that I am a wholehearted supporter of his call for change. I am sorry that my noble friend Lord Tanlaw, with his vast technical knowledge on this subject, was unable to participate in today’s debate. I was half-expecting the noble Lord, Lord Howie of Troon, to speak, as he has long campaigned for the status quo. He has said on many occasions that he hoped that it would be the final time that this case would be raised in your Lordships’ House and that it should be put to rest once and for all. I can assure the noble Lord that it will not be put to rest once and for all.