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Confident Consumers

I thank the hon. Gentleman for trying for the second time in 18 years to be friendly to me. I, too, must be neutral in this matter. I know that he is trying to entice me for the best of reasons to comment on this. The whole point of what I have been saying is that we are genuinely looking to have proper consultation. I shall come to that in a minute. We have not yet reached a conclusion on what should happen with regard to Sunday shopping hours. Given that I have only just arrived in the job, it will be no surprise that I have a generally open mind. No decision will be taken until I have assessed all the evidence and given appropriate advice to the Secretary of State. Secondly, we have promised that if we decide to continue to look at the question of changing the restrictions on Sunday shopping hours, there will be a formal consultation on the issue. We will keep that promise. We have said, and this remains the case, that the legislative process will be transparent, with any changes part of a consumer Bill and subject to a full vote in the House. Thirdly, I give the House an absolute commitment that the special protection that shop workers have, allowing them to choose not to work on Sundays, is here to stay. The review will not include changing that protection because we are firmly committed to keeping it in place. Fourthly, I make it clear that the Government are committed to values of economic and social justice. Although the economic case is important, it is only one part of the equation. The Government support a greater work-life balance. We also support the regeneration of communities and we want to see small family businesses flourish. We also know that many large companies are at the forefront of community regeneration. Many have developed strong partnerships with unions and have taken a positive approach to campaigning to end age discrimination and allow older men and women to return to the labour market after many decades in which such people were not able to find work. Our consultations are on all aspects of relaxing the restrictions on Sunday shopping, and I look forward to hearing hon. Members’ views on the matter. We know that there is a social impact whatever we do, whether it is leaving the current arrangements in place, extending the restricted hours or complete deregulation. This is not about being pro-small business or anti-big business; it is about being pro-all businesses but also pro the people who work in them. I am determined to try to strike the right balance.