Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail)
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128. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if consideration has been given to ending the annual seasonal time change that happens every March and October; the position of the EU in this regard; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39463/24]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Since 2001, summer time arrangements in the EU have been governed by EU Directive 2000/84/EC which sets out the obligation on all Member States to switch to summer time on the last Sunday of March and to switch back to their standard time (winter time) on the last Sunday of October.

Following a resolution of the European Parliament in 2018, the European Commission proposed a change to this arrangement, under which:

• The last mandatory change to summer time would take place on 28 March 2021, after which
• Member States who wish to remain on winter time would make one last seasonal clock change on 31 October 2021. This decision was to be notified to the Commission by 1 April 2020.
• Members States would remain free to choose their standard time, on the condition that they give 18 months’ notice to the Commission.