HL Deb 11 June 1936 vol 101 cc13-5

Order of the Day for the House to be put into Committee read.

Moved, That the House do now resolve itself into Committee.—(Lord Eltisley.)

On Question, Motion agreed to.

House in Committee accordingly:

[The EARL OF ONSLOW in the Chair.]

Clause 1 agreed to.

Clause 2:

Exemption as respects Jewish retail dealers in meat.

2. Notwithstanding anything in this or any other Act, any person of the Jewish religion may carry on the business of a retail dealer in kosher meat and may keep open a shop for the serving of customers for the purposes of that business on Sunday, on condition that he complies with the following provisions (that is to say):

  1. (a) he is licensed by the local Board of Shechita, or in the absence of any such Board by the local Jewish congregation, for the sale of kosher meat;
  2. (b) he shall not carry on the business and, if he carries on the business in a shop, he shall not keep open the shop for the purpose of the business on Saturday; (c) he shall previously give notice to the local authority of his intention to carry on the business on Sunday;
  3. (d) if he carries on the business in any shop, he shall cause to be kept conspicuously posted in the shop a notice stating that it is open on Sunday for the purposes of the business, but is not open on Saturday for those purposes; and
  4. (e) any such notice as aforesaid may be revoked by a further notice in writing given to the local authority by, or on behalf of, the occupiers of the shop, but no such notice shall be revoked before the expiration of six months from the date when the notice was given.

LORD ELTISLEY moved, in paragraph (a), to leave out "is" and insert "must be". The noble Lord said: This and in fact all the Amendments which I have tabled are of a purely drafting character. The first is a verbal Amendment, and its effect is to make clear that a retail dealer in kosher meat must be licensed by the local Board of Shechita.

Amendment moved— Page 1, line 18, leave out (" is ") and insert (" must be ").—(Lord Eltisley.)

THE EARL OF MUNSTER

I would like to say just a few words on the Amendments which the noble Lord has tabled. They have been drawn up with the concurrence of my right honourable friend the Home Secretary, and have been drafted with the assistance of the officials of his Department. The Government hope that your Lordships will approve of them.

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

LORD ELTISLEY

The other Amendments to this clause are drafting.

Amendments moved—

Page 18, line 22, after (" business ") insert (" either of a retail dealer in kosher meat or of a retail dealer in butcher's meat on Saturday ").

Page 2, line 5, after (" business ") insert (" of a retail dealer in kosher meat ").

page 2, line 9, leave out (" the business ") and insert (" retail dealing in kosher meat ").

page 2, line 10, leave out (" for those purposes ").

page 2, line 11, leave out paragraph (e).—(Lord Eltisley.)

On Question, Amendments agreed to.

Clause 2, as amended, agreed to.

Clauses 3 to 6 agreed to.

Clause 7:

Interpretation.

7. In this Act the expressions "local authority," "shop," and "shop assistant" have respectively the same meanings as in the Shops Act, 1912, and the expression "butchers' meat" means beef, mutton, veal, lamb or pork, whether fresh, chilled, frozen or salted, and includes livers, heads, feet, hearts, lights, kidneys or sweetbreads.

LORD ELTISLEY

The first two Amendments to this clause relate to a rearrangement of the wording. In the first place we omit "and" which will no longer be required.

Amendment moved— Page 3, line 18, leave out (" and ").—(Lord Eltisley.)

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

LORD ELTISLEY

Then we put certain words in a different place in the clause.

Amendment moved— Page 3, line 20, after (" pork ") to insert (" (including livers, heads, feet, hearts, lights, kidneys or sweetbreads) ").—(Lord Eltisley.)

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

LORD ELTISLEY

The last Amendment is necessary because it is considered desirable to have a definition of "kosher meat." The definition as tabled in the Amendment has been discussed with the Jewish Board of Deputies, and is, I understand, quite acceptable to them.

Amendment moved— Page 3, line 21, leave out from (" and ") to the end of line 22 and insert (" the expression ' kosher meat ' means butcher's meat killed and prepared by the Jewish ritual method ").—(Lord Eltisley.)

On Question, Amendment agreed to.

Clause 7, as amended, agreed to.

Remaining clause agreed to.