§ 39. Mr. T. GRIFFITHSasked the Prime Minister if lie proposes to introduce legislation during the present Session with a view of bringing the Sunday Observance Act into harmony with modern needs and with the object of reasonably safeguarding the day of rest from unnecessary trade and labour?
§ The PRIME MINISTERI am afraid there is no possibility of the Government dealing with the matter in the present Session. The Government are entirely in sympathy with the desire to restrict Sunday trading and Sunday work so far as is reasonably practicable, but it had proved impossible so far to find any solution of the question which would command general agreement. An attempt was made to deal with Sunday trading in 1911 in connection with the Shops Bill, but the proposals gave rise to so much controversy that they had to be dropped.