Shops Bill (Hansard, 26 March 1986)

I beg leave to present the following petition:

To the Honourable the Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Parliament assembled. The humble petition of residents of Newark Constituency sheweth that the undersigned are opposed to the provision for unlimited Sunday Trading in the Shops Bill currently before Parliament, recognising that Sunday has special characteristics as a day of rest, recreation and worship for the benefit of our family and community life. Wherefore your Petitioners pray that your Honourable House do maintain legal limitations on Sunday Trading to ensure that the special character of Sunday is protected. And your petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray, etc. Father Timothy O'Sullivan of the Holy Trinity church is the leading signatory to the petition, which was signed by 1,160 of my constituents. The petition reflects the concern of many of my constituents. I have pleasure in presenting it on their behalf.

§ Mr. Patrick Nicholls (Teignbridge)

I present this petition of behalf of some 2,000 signatories in my constituency of Teignbridge. The terms of the petition are that they are opposed to the provision of unlimited Sunday trading under the Shops Bill at present before Parliament, recognising that Sunday has substantial characteristics as a day of rest, recreation and worship, to the benefit of our family and community life.

This is a substantial petition. The principal organisers, as I understand it, were a Mr. and Mrs. Holding of Teignmouth in my constituency. They are to my knowledge local Baptists and I recognise many of the signatures to this petition as those of Baptists who have spoken to me at least at one meeting.

I think that it is fair that I say of those people who asked me to present the petition on their behalf that I can entirely understand their motives, aspirations and hopes. The only way in which I differ from them is in that, although I understand their fears, I feel that they are misplaced. Having said that, the depth of concern that they felt in presenting this petition to me was entirely evident and it is certainly no hardship to present it in that light.

The conclusion of the petition reads: Wherefore your petitioners pray that your Honourable House do maintain legal limitations on Sunday trading to ensure that the special character of Sunday is protected.