§ 43. Mr. Leslieasked the Home Secretary whether he has considered a communication from a mass meeting of shop- 2244 workers, attended by over 1,000 at Hammersmith on Sunday last, protesting against any extension of shopping hours beyond those contained in the Order-in-Council of last October, urging that the present Order should be continued and, furthermore, that the working hours of assistants should be limited to 48 per week; and what action he proposes taking in the interests of the health and welfare of distributive workers?
§ Sir J. AndersonNo, Sir. I have received no such communication. With regard to the latter part of the Question, I would remind the hon. Member that these matters were fully debated in the House on 24th January last. I then made it clear that it would be outside the powers of the Defence Act to continue the existing Order during the summer months when the emergency conditions on which it was based will no longer be operative. In the circumstances there is no action which I could properly take in the matter.
§ Mr. LeslieIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that the extension of the hours to 8 p.m. or9 p.m. means that a number of assistants have to work considerably longer, and that in the London area scores of men who were A.R.P. workers are now having to resign because it is impossible to carry out their duties as A.R.P. workers? Surely, it is within the province of the Minister to do something in this respect?
§ Sir J. AndersonI am not extending the hours. What I am doing is to withdraw a special measure which was introduced last September to meet conditions which will have passed away by the time we revert to normal hours of work.
§ Mr. LeslieIt means that the shops can now keep open until 8 and 9 o'clock.