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Confident Consumers

If I may, I shall finish the point. I know that the hon. Gentleman has strong views on this and he may want to make a speech. I ask the hon. Gentleman to hold on for a second. I want to run through some of the strongly held views to illustrate the strength and complexity of the debate outside the Chamber. No one will agree with all of them. Indeed, some may not agree with any of them. For example, some consumers are keen to be able to shop at all hours of the day and night; others cannot imagine why they would ever want to do so. Some employees value the chance to work on Sundays; others say that Sunday opening has made their working life more difficult. Some people feel it is not the Government’s place to regulate in this area; others would like to see Sunday protected as a day of rest by as much regulation as possible. Some religious groups feel either that it is wrong that shops open at all on Sundays or believe that family life benefits from having a day in the week without shopping and that it is extremely important to the social fabric of the country. Some have commented that the current rules under which many shops open and close at similar times, for example 10 am and 4 pm, cause congestion on the roads and say that it would be better to allow shops to decide for themselves when they close, similar to the greater freedom now available to public houses. There is also a wealth of interest into the effects on small shops, as I have witnessed at first hand in the Makerfield constituency. Some people are worried that small shops near them might have to close; others think that it is good for small shops to have to raise their game to compete. Those and all other views expressed have to be weighed in the balance. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and I will look at all the evidence that we have received so far. I want to ensure that consumer and labour policies are well informed, even if we have to recognise that there will never be an overall consensus.