§ Mr. ACLAND ALLENasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his attention has been called to the fact that the provisions in the Shops Act providing for the making of orders for the closing of shops and the provision of the weekly half-holiday are inoperative in the county of London owing to the fact that the London County Council decided to delegate the powers for administering those portions of the Act to the Metropolitan borough councils, a large number of which have refused to accept such delegation; and whether he can take any action to secure that the provisions of the Act shall be fully carried out?
§ Mr. McKENNAThe London County Council can delegate its powers and duties under the Shops Act to the Borough Councils only by an arrangement made with my approval under Section 13 of the Act. No such arrangement has been made, and in 1717W its absence the responsibility for the administration and enforcement of the Act rests with the London County Council, on whom it is placed by the Statute. The requirement as to the closing of shops for the weekly half-holiday does not depend on any order being made by the Council, and is already in force, and I have no information to show that the requirement is not being duly observed.