MARQUESS Of TULLIBARDINEasked the Secretary for Scotland whether he is aware that under the provisions of the Shops Act shopkeepers who have arranged to have the weekly half-holiday on Thursday are unable to change this in special 1035W circumstances to any day excepting Saturday, which is often a most inconvenient day, and in many districts the day on which most trade is done; whether he is aware that when term day in Scotland falls on the half-holiday it causes great inconvenience to both shopkeepers and their clients; and whether it can be arranged to so interpret the Act that where it is for the general convenience of the residenters in the district the half-holiday, in special cases, may be changed to another more suitable day, which is not Saturday?
Mr. McKINNON WOODWhere the local authority are asked to fix the day of the weekly half-holiday, they may, in terms of Section 4 (2) of the Shops Act, provide that in any specified week or weeks the half-holiday may be observed on some other day than the day fixed as the regular day. Such a provision would be in addition to the ordinary provision1036W for substituting Saturday for the day fixed in the Order. Where no Order has been made by the local authority, the occupier of the shop may change the day which he has selected as the day for the half-holiday, subject to the restriction that such changes of day must not be made more than once in any period of three months.