Bank holiday
A bank holiday is a public holiday in both the United Kingdom and Ireland. There is no automatic right to time off on these days, although the majority of the population not employed in essential services (e.g. utilities, fire, ambulance, police, health-care, public transport workers) receive them as holidays; those employed in essential services usually receive extra pay for working on these days. The first official bank holidays were the four days named in the Bank Holidays Act 1871, but today the term is colloquially used for public holidays which are not officially bank holidays, for example Good Friday and Christmas Day. Large supermarkets are usually closed entirely on the Sunday before a Monday Bank Holiday, but open on the Saturday and the Monday itself.
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History
Bank Holidays Act 1871
Prior to 1834, the Bank of England observed about thirty-three saints' days and religious festivals as holidays, but in 1834, this was reduced to just four: 1 May, 1 November, Good Friday, and Christmas Day. In 1871, the first legislation relating to bank holidays was passed when Liberal Politician and Banker, Sir John Lubbock introduced the Bank Holidays Act 1871 which specified the days in the table set out below.[1] Sir John was an enthusiastic supporter of cricket and was firmly of the belief that bank employees should have the opportunity to participate in and attend matches when they were scheduled. Included in the dates of bank holidays are therefore dates when cricket games were traditionally played between the villages in the region where Sir John was raised. The English people were so thankful that they called the first Bank Holidays 'St. Lubbock's Days' for a while.[2] Scotland was treated separately because of its separate traditions; for example, New Year is a more important holiday there.
| England, Wales, Ireland | Scotland |
|---|---|
| Good Friday | |
| Easter Monday | |
| Whit Monday | First Monday in May |
| First Monday in August | First Monday in August |
| Boxing Day/St. Stephen's Day | Christmas Day |
The act did not specify Good Friday and Christmas Day as bank holidays in England, Wales and Ireland because they were already recognised as common law holidays, and because of common observance, they became customary holidays since before records began.[1]
In 1903, the Bank Holiday (Ireland) Act added 17 March, Saint Patrick's Day, as a bank holiday for Ireland only.[3]
Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971
Exactly a century after the 1871 Act, the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971, which currently regulates bank holidays in the UK, was passed. The majority of the current bank holidays were specified in the 1971 Act, but New Year's Day and May Day were introduced after 1971.
From 1972 the date of the August bank holiday was changed to the end of the month. Curiously, there were a few years (e.g. 1868) when this holiday fell in September, but this no longer occurs - presumably reflecting a change in the way of defining the relevant day. The Whitsun bank holiday (Whit Monday) was replaced by the Late Spring Bank Holiday - fixed as the last Monday in May - in 1971.
In January 2007, the St Andrew's Day Bank Holiday (Scotland) Act 2007 was given royal assent, making 30 November (or the nearest Monday if a weekend) a bank holiday in Scotland.
Current practice
Royal proclamation
Under the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971, bank holidays are proclaimed each year by the legal device of a royal proclamation. Royal proclamation is also used to move bank holidays that would otherwise fall on a weekend. In this way, public holidays are not 'lost' in years when they coincide with weekends. These deferred bank holiday days are termed a 'bank holiday in lieu' of the typical anniversary date. In the legislation they are known as 'substitute days'. The movement of the St Andrew's Day Scottish holiday to the nearest Monday when 30 November is a weekend day is statutory and does not require a proclamation.
List of current holidays
| Date | Name | England and Wales (8) | Scotland (9) | Northern Ireland (10) | Republic of Ireland (9) |
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| 1 January | New Year's Day |  |
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| 2 January | 2 January | |
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| 17 March | St. Patrick's Day | |
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| The Friday before Easter Sunday | Good Friday | |
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| The day after Easter Sunday | Easter Monday | |
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| First Monday in May1 | May Day Bank Holiday (or Early May Bank Holiday in Scotland) | |
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| Last Monday in May2,3 | Spring Bank Holiday | |
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| First Monday In June | June Bank Holiday | |
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| 12 July | Battle of the Boyne - Orangemen's Day | |
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| First Monday in August | Summer Bank Holiday | |
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| Last Monday in August | Summer Bank Holiday | |
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| Last Monday in October | October Bank Holiday | |
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| 30 November | St. Andrew's Day | |
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| 25 December | Christmas Day | |
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| 26 December | Boxing Day, St. Stephen's Day | |
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- For one year only, 1995, this holiday was moved to the second Monday in May – i.e., from 1 May to 8 May – to commemorate the 50th anniversary of VE Day.
- For one year only, 2002, this holiday was moved to 4 June. This caused it to follow an extra bank holiday on 3 June, making a four-day weekend to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.
- Again in 2012 this holiday will be moved to 4 June. It will then be followed by an extra holiday on 5 June, making a four-day weekend to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.
Bank holidays in Scotland
A number of differences apply to Scotland rather than the rest of the UK. For example, Easter Monday is not a bank holiday. Also, although they share the same name, the Summer Bank Holiday falls on the first Monday of August in Scotland as opposed to the last elsewhere in the UK.
Bank holidays do not, however, assume the same importance in Scotland as they do elsewhere. Whereas they have effectively become public holidays elsewhere in the UK, in Scotland there remains a tradition of public holidays based on local tradition and determined by local authorities (for example, the Glasgow Fair and the Dundee Fortnight). In 1996, Scottish banks made the business decision to harmonise their own holidays with the rest of the UK, therefore bank holidays in Scotland are neither public holidays nor the days on which banks are closed.
Bank holidays in the Republic of Ireland
In the Republic of Ireland, the term "public holiday" is used officially, though "bank holiday" is used colloquially.
Good Friday is not a public holiday, though banks and public institutions are closed. The Summer Bank Holiday is also the first Monday in August rather than the last. A June Bank Holiday takes the place of the Spring Bank Holiday. Easter Monday and St Patrick's Day both qualify as National Days in the Republic.
The most recent public holiday to be added was May Day (sometimes wrongly called Labour Day). This holiday is taken as the first Monday in May, and was introduced in 1994. Recently, senior politicians (including Ruairi Quinn) have been considering the addition of one or two extra public holidays to bring Ireland in line with the rest of Europe.
Campaigns for extra bank holidays
The number of holidays in the UK is relatively small compared to that in many other European countries. However, direct comparison is inaccurate since the 'substitute day' scheme of deferment does not apply in most European countries, where holidays that coincide with a weekend (29% of fixed-date holidays) are 'lost'. In fact, the average number of non-weekend holidays in such countries is only marginally higher (and in some cases lower) than the UK.
There have been calls for an increase in the number of bank holidays.[4] Among the most notably absent dates from the existing list are the feast days of patron saints; 23 April (St George's Day) in England and 1 March (St David's Day) in Wales are not currently recognised. 17 March (St Patrick's Day) is a public holiday in Northern Ireland and, from 2008, 30 November (St Andrew's Day) is a bank holiday in Scotland. St Piran's Day (patron saint of Cornwall) on the 5 March is already given as an unofficial day off to many government and other workers in the county, and there are renewed calls for the government to recognise this as an official bank holiday in the region.[5][6]
The Government as of 2008 has stated "we have no plans to change the current pattern of Bank Holidays, but we are nevertheless considering all these suggestions carefully".[7] In response to a parliamentary question about St George's Day, Gordon Brown stated that it is "for public debate" whether it should become a holiday. If it did, it would be eight days before the May holiday in some years, and very close to Easter in others.
Hong Kong
In Hong Kong the term bank holiday is used colloquially to refer to public holidays, since banks are normally closed on these days. Hong Kong has maintained a distinction between public holidays and statutory holidays; the number of days for the latter is fewer.
See also
- List of holidays by country
References
- Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Anon (22 May 2007). "Bank Holiday Fact File". TUC prss release. TUC. http://www.tuc.org.uk/extras/bankholidays.pdf. Retrieved 12 January 2010.
- ↑ Olmert, Michael (1996). Milton's Teeth and Ovid's Umbrella: Curiouser & Curiouser Adventures in History, p.170. Simon & Schuster, New York. ISBN 0684801647.
- ↑ "Bank Holidays (Ireland) Bill". Hansard, the Official Report of debates in Parliament. UK Parliament. http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/bills/bank-holidays-ireland-bill. Retrieved 2010-03-26.
- ↑ Union leaders are campaigning for an extra bank holiday BBC News 27 October 2004
- ↑ "Renewed call for St Piran holiday". BBC News. 5 March 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cornwall/7925480.stm. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
- ↑ Gledhill, Ruth (5 March 2009). "Cornwall workers given an unofficial day off for St Pirans Day". The Times (London). http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article5850736.ece. Retrieved 31 March 2010.
- ↑ supportstgeorge - epetition response
External links
- Government Schedule of bank holidays for the UK for 2009 to 2011 inclusive
- Government Schedule of bank holidays for Scotland for 2004 to 2010 inclusive
- UK Bank Holiday dates and special days in the year
- Official text of the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971 as amended and in force today within the United Kingdom, from the UK Statute Law Database
- Annual leave and public holidays (Republic of Ireland)
- Calendar of all legal Public and Bank Holidays worldwide, until 2050
- FirstCaribbean International Bank: Bank Holidays in the Caribbean region
- List of Bank Holidays for the Year 2010 in India