§ Lord Ponsonby of Shulbredeasked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to Lord Boyd-Carpenter's question of 12th March last, whether they can now state "how many prosecutions in respect of Sunday opening have been launched against the proprietors of shops since 30th June 1986; how many of these have resulted in convictions; and how many are awaiting a hearing".
The Minister of State, Home Office (The Earl of Caithness)On the basis of the statistics so far available, from 1st July to 31st December 1986, 291 persons were found guilty of offences relating to Sunday opening. This information is, however, incomplete. Data on prosecutions are not collected centrally and it is therefore not possible to say how many prosecutions were launched in the period nor how many persons are awaiting a hearing.