§ Mr. Whitakerasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has for legislation allowing greater flexibility in shop opening hours.
§ Mr. Roy JenkinsConsultations with interested organisations on the suggestions published in the Home Departments' booklet "Retail Trading Hours" show that there is no approach to a common view on weekday hours. In the absence of broad agreement on the suggestions—to which, as was made clear, the Government were not committed—my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and I do not intend to introduce legislation to amend the present provisions governing weekday hours. We hope that the abolition of statutory controls may come to be widely recognised as the right way of achieving greater flexibility.
As regards Sunday trading in England and Wales, the Report of the Crathorne Committee on Sunday Observance contains recommendations which in my view represent a reasonable basis for eliminating the worst anomalies of the present situation.