RETAIL MEAT DEALERS' SHOPS (SUNDAY CLOSING) BILL. (Hansard, 21 May 1936)

§ LORD ELTISLEY
My Lords, I beg to move the Second Reading of this Bill. It is strictly limited to a single topic and a single trade, a trade of which the circumstances and the position are such, I venture to suggest, as to justify this exceptional and special legislation. It makes no attempt whatever at legislating for shops in general, and it must not be confused with another Bill, the Shops (Sunday Trading Restriction) Bill, which is shortly coming to your Lordships' House, having had a somewhat stormy passage in another place. This Bill, I venture to submit, is one which is needed, and it is also so drafted that it is a Bill which will work. It is administratively simple, and I do not think presents any exceptional difficulties. The purpose of the Bill is to provide for the complete and total closing of retail meat traders' shops on Sunday and also to prohibit the delivery of meat from such shops on Sunday. Three exceptions, however, are made. Meat may be supplied on that day to ships or aeroplanes or airships on arrival at or just before departure from port or aerodrome, as the case may be; and the third exception is in the interests of bona fide members of the Jewish faith.
In view of the considerable amount of other business on the Order Paper to-day, I will endeavour to put the case in justification of the Bill before your Lordships as concisely as possible, but I hope that in so doing I shall not be misunderstood in any way, and that it will not be felt in any quarter that I am dealing too briefly with the principle of the measure. The Bill, which has been passed in another place, is supported and backed by employers in both large and small shops; it is supported by workers employed in all classes of such establishments; and I venture to think it has also the support of a great majority of the public. The Bill has also to be considered from the angle and point of view of public health, and, though I do not desire to stress this particular point, I think it will be generally agreed that it is all to the good if Sunday work can be limited and at least one day in seven is made available which those employed in the trade can utilise for recreation and rest. Amongst the supporters of the Bill are the representative organisations of all engaged in handling butchers' meat by retail. It is also supported by the 1150 National Federation of Meat Traders' Associations representing the great majority of the small retail meat dealers in England and in Wales, and by the multiple shop firms who own a large number of butchers' shops of a good type distributed over many towns in the country.
General unanimity of opinion exists with regard to the need of this Bill. There has been an undesirable growth recently in the opening of butchers' shops which retail meat on Sunday. It has been a steady and progressive development ever since the War period, and the tendency to open more and more butchers' shops has been especially noticeable in some of the bigger towns, such as our home town of London, Newcastle and Bristol. There is no obligation upon any one to open his shop on a Sunday, but your Lordships will appreciate that, if one or two traders do open their shops on Sunday, it is only human nature that others should do the same who would not otherwise do it, in order to protect their own trade. It is this state of affairs which the overwhelming majority of those engaged in this particular branch of business desire to see stopped, and we feel that it is only through Parliamentary action that any effective remedy can be secured for the unsatisfactory situation that is growing up. The journeymen employed in the industry do not desire to see any extension: in fact they desire to curtail the practice of Sunday opening. They view with alarm this increase in Sunday opening and the possibility of its further development. To them it means increased hours of labour and the deprivation of opportunities to spend a weekly rest day at home with their families.
Meat as a diet, so far as the great majority of the consuming public are concerned, is already purchased for the most part on week-days. I might remind your Lordships that during the War there was no Sunday opening. Meat was then rationed; only certain quantities could be purchased, and then under certain conditions; and there was no advantage to be gained from the trade point of view by one retailer opening his shop on Sundays with a hope of obtaining somebody else's trade. If the objection is urged—and I do not know that it will be urged—that some members of the public, the poorer sections of our community, have 1151 little or no adequate facilities for keeping meat overnight, I would challenge the objection that there is any hardship which arises in that respect. I do so because for some time past it has been impossible to obtain butchers' meat in some of our big cities, such as Manchester and Sunderland, where the shops by general mutual voluntary agreement are closed on Sundays, and there has been no degree of hardship so far as that class of consumer is concerned.
It may be urged again that if voluntary agreement can be reached in respect of a large town like Manchester to close Sunday retail meat trade shops, the same can be done elsewhere. Attempts have been made to work along voluntary lines and this method, however effective it may be in certain spots in the kingdom, cannot be relied upon to prevent the opening of shops in every case. That is notably the case so far as London is concerned, and London, I need hardly point out, does represent a very large proportion of our population. The practice has been growing in London for some time of opening these retail meat trading shops on Sunday. Those who open their shops do so on the principle that there is always somebody who will probably forget or omit to buy meat on the Saturday, and will therefore run along to a shop on Sunday, and no doubt the shopkeeper sometimes believes he can steal the trade of some other meat shop in his district.
I would urge the importance and value of this Bill also from quite another angle, and that is from the point of view of the local authorities. As the House is aware, butchers' shops are subject to many different forms of inspection. We have meat inspectors appointed by local authorities in order to ensure that the meat offered for sale is fit for human consumption. Again, we have inspectors of weights and measures who are appointed to see that the proper weight of meat which is bought and paid for is given. There is also the question of imported meat exposed for sale which has to be marked and labelled under the Merchandise Marks Act. We have inspectors appointed to deal with questions such as the hours of labour, and the conditions of employment of young persons under eighteen years of age, who also come into the picture. It is obvious that if butchers' shops open on Sundays 1152 the inspection now required by Statute will have to be made on Sundays, because otherwise, undoubtedly, a certain percentage of unscrupulous traders will take advantage of the situation and avoid their statutory obligations. Therefore local authorities are affected, and if some steps were not taken to regulate the Sunday opening of shops, they would probably have to increase the staff to deal with Sunday trading or else the hours of the existing officials would have to be substantially increased.
There are other officials besides who are concerned under the Road and Rail Traffic Act, because all drivers of commercial goods vehicles are required to keep a record of the time they commence and finish work and the time occupied in driving. Registers have to be kept of all these things. As your Lordships are aware, the total driving time of such employees is limited by Statute and statutory periods of rest are provided for. There again the question of inspection comes in and the officers who make inspections of such records have to be considered. It may be argued on the other hand—I want to anticipate as many objections to the Bill as I can—that inspectors will be wanted to ensure that shops are closed. To that I would retort that the meat trade is a well-organised trade, and the members of the trade have made every reasonable endeavour to bring about the closing of these shops by voluntary agreement under the Shops Act. Being well-organised they will make it their business to see that this measure is enforced, and if it is not being obeyed they will report the matter to the local authority, who will know just when and where and how it is best to take action.
I have pointed out that the Bill has one or two exceptions. Butcher members of the Jewish faith, licensed by appropriate Jewish authorities for the sale of kosher meat, will be permitted under Clause 2 to carry on business on Sundays provided they close their shops on Saturdays. The clauses dealing with the exemption of members of the Jewish faith in the matter of sale of kosher meat have been agreed by the Board of Deputies of British Jews, who are, I am glad to say, completely satisfied. There is exemption also in favour of the supply of meat to ships or aircraft on arrival at or immediately before departure from a port 1153 or aerodrome. Every endeavour has been made to meet every reasonable situation that may arise. I venture to commend the Bill with all sincerity to the kind consideration and support of the House for the reason that it commands the support—as very few Bills introduced in Parliament do—of the employers, large and small, in the industry, of the employees, of local government authorities and of the great representative bodies of religious opinion of all creeds in the country. Its passage secures the priceless boon of one day's rest in seven, which is not only valuable to the individual, but also, I venture to suggest, in the best interests of our national life. I beg to move.

LORD STRABOLGI
My Lords, my noble friends desire to offer no opposition to this Bill, but in every way to facilitate its passage. On their behalf I should like to be allowed to congratulate the noble Lord on the lucid way in which he has explained the measure.

§ THE EARL OF MUNSTER
My Lords, as the noble Lord who moved the Second Reading of this Bill has explained it fully, I need not say anything further by way of description. I only wish to say that we understand that the Bill is supported by practically everyone concerned in this trade, and it appears to the Government therefore that the position of this trade is such as to justify special legislation. The provisions of the Bill is a whole are considered to be workable, and, subject to the possibility of the consideration of certain small points of detail in Committee, it is thought that your Lordships may well give a Second Reading to the measure. Perhaps I might just mention that I understand that the Shops (Sunday Trading Restriction) Bill will come before your Lordships in the course of a few weeks. That Bill, as it stands, covers butchers' shops, and therefore the question of an adjustment between the two Bills may have to be considered at a later stage. In the meantime there is no reason why this Bill should not be given a Second Reading to-day.