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Colliery Closures

3.31 pm

Mr. Geoffrey Lofthouse (Pontefract and Castleford) : I beg to ask leave to move the Adjournment of the House under Standing Order No. 20 for the purpose of discussing a specific and important matter that should have urgent consideration, namely,

"the announcement by British Coal of the loss of 13,000 jobs at the Prince of Wales, Sharlston, Kellingley and Whitemoor collieries and the closure of the topping cycle plant at Grimethorpe."

This matter is specific, because it follows the loss of 20,000 mining and support jobs in west Yorkshire since 1985 without any attempt by the Government to provide replacement industry and it includes the lack of RECHAR. It is important and urgent because the work force, with an average age of between 32 and 33, are being blackmailed by British Coal. If they do not accept voluntary redundancy by the end of March, they will lose £10,000.

Some of those men have been transferred from other collieries and promised long-term employment. They have been encouraged to purchase houses with high mortgages, and they are now desperate and worried. They have been portrayed as Europe and world beaters in coal production in recent months.

The Grimethorpe plant has played a leading part, with a lack of finances, for many years in producing clean coal technology. The closure of the plant is a retrograde step, as that technology is very much needed.

I ask you, Mr. Speaker, to grant my request to allow the House to consider this serious matter.

Mr. Speaker : The hon. Member for Pontefract and Castleford (Mr. Lofthouse) asks leave to move the Adjournment of the House under Standing Order No. 20 for the purpose of discussing a specific and important matter that he believes should have urgent consideration, namely,

"the effect on unemployment of the announcement by British Coal to further run down the coal industry in his own and in neighbouring constituencies."

I have listened with care to what the hon. Gentleman has said about the matter. As he knows, I have to decide whether his application comes within the Standing Order and, if so, whether a debate should be granted which would take precedence over the business set down for today or tomorrow.

In this case, I regret that the matter that he has raised does not meet the requirement of the Standing Order. I therefore cannot submit his application to the House today.

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Shops (Amendment) Bill

3.34 pm

Mr. Ray Powell (Ogmore) : I beg to move,

That leave be given to bring in a Bill to provide for certain descriptions of shops in England and Wales to be open for trade on Sunday, subject to their being registered with the local authority ; to impose a general prohibition on the opening on Sunday of other shops, extending this prohibition to certain business premises which on week-days are open for the service of customers ; to provide protection for persons employed in or for the purposes of a shop which is, or is to be, registered for Sunday opening, where they have conscientious or other objections to working on Sunday ; to make consequential and other repeals in the Shops Act 1950 ; and for connected purposes.

Seldom has the time been more appropriate or the need more urgent for a Bill of this kind. You, Mr. Speaker--indeed, the whole House--will know that the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, the Moderator of the Free Church Federal Council and the Chief Rabbi drew the Prime Minister's attention to the pre-Christmas law-breaking, which they said

"will determine the institution of a nationally observed day in the week substantially set apart for activities which are other than commercial in nature. We believe that all peoples need to have one day in the week which is different, and which provides an opportunity for varied forms of community life and activity. Divine worship is an important but not the only concern here. The progressive abandonment of such a nationally observed day poses a real danger to family life and social relationships and especially to the welfare of many workers in the retail industry."

My Bill seeks to address these concerns, which are shared by millions, in a very constructive way and is entirely based on the Keep Sunday Special proposals on rest--meaning recreation, emergencies, social gatherings and travel. I place on record appreciation to David Blackmore and his staff for all their efforts in addressing these problems.

Early-day motion 291, which has been signed by 124 right hon. and hon. Members, illustrates the measure of cross-party support that these proposals have. The economic evidence of the failure of Sunday trading is summarised by the trade magazine Supermarketing, whose latest research shows little evidence that seven-day opening helped to increase overall grocery spending. Instead, market share has been stolen from law-abiding retailers and the smaller shops, many of which have lost and are losing up to 50 per cent. of weekly turnover. Small shops cannot survive for long under these conditions. The House needs to take note of the fact that, in 1961, there were 147,000 grocery stores in Britain, whereas in 1990 there were just 44,700. Indeed, the trade paper of the independent stores-- Independent Grocer --now gives the figure as 41,000. The market share of these stores dropped from more than 50 per cent. in 1961 to less than 12 per cent. last Christmas. On the other hand, the share of the five big superstores rose from 50 per cent. in 1961 to a massive 62 per cent. of this £44 billion sector of the retail industry.

Sunday trading is raising prices and reducing real freedom of choice. The consumer, especially the disadvantaged consumer, is the loser. Losers too are local residents, who have to contend with traffic, noise and litter and all the other types of disturbance. So are the food producers and the transport companies, who face the exercise of near-monopoly market power by over-dependence on the five big supermarket chains.

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The most telling evidence of all that Sunday trading is a costly mistake, for which the whole nation is paying a heavy price, is not the new year phoney price war by the supermarket chains but their savage attack on the living standards of the employees. I have a copy of a letter from the retail director of Sainsbury's confirming that all staff contracts will "have to be reviewed".

The letter continues :

"and details will be announced in late January of changes to be made effective from 15 March 1992."

I am given to understand that this will apply to Scotland also. There is no doubt that this will mean compulsory Sunday work for little or no premium payment. Such ruthless, unacceptable pressure, which closely follows that already applied by Woolworth's Gateway, Asda and others, is a callous and cruel deception upon thousands of vulnerable, low-paid, mainly part-time and largely female workers and their families.

I have been involved in the retail industry all my life. It is a people business or it is nothing. I have always found the staff honest, trustworthy, intensely loyal and hard-working, generally very tolerant of all extremes of consumer behaviour, and therefore the best asset and advertisement any business can have.

While I am proud to acknowledge my sponsorship by the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers and my commitment of faith as a Methodist, I address the House today as merely one voice in a large and growing all- party coalition ranging from all the Churches to trade unions and consumer groups, all seeking a genuine consensus solution to the Sunday trading shambles.

Much of the shambles is of the Government's own making, because of their singular inability and unwillingness to enforce the law of the land or to show any real leadership in promoting reform. Instead, they have allowed a small group of directors of retail

stores--Woolworth, Sainsbury, Tesco and the like--to dictate a fundamental change in our way of life for their own self-interest and to the benefit of fewer than 5 per cent. of the population. It is remarkable that our Ministers have failed in their responsibilities, claiming that European Community law prevents them from acting. A fellow member state of the EC, France, is doing just that, however, against Mr. Richard Branson's Virgin plc megastore in Paris, and to the tune of a £100,000 fine. France has also publicly stated that this year it will introduce moderate reforms to its laws on Sunday trading.

It is abundantly clear that in that case it is the Government of France and the National Assembly--not Mr. Branson--who will decide, after consultation with various groups, on the timing and content of the reforms. There will be no waiting for any further decision from the European Court of Justice, which has already ruled three times that the Sunday trading laws of member states are not contrary to article 30 of the treaty of Rome. What an unworthy contrast the relative inactivity of the United Kingdom Government presents. My Bill is based upon five principles--first, that the reasonable needs of consumers are met ; secondly, that employees' rights and freedoms are fully protected and promoted ; thirdly, that families and friends are able to spend quality time together ; fourthly, that the freedoms of shopowners and local residents are safeguarded ; and

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Column 318

fifthly, that Sunday is actively promoted as a distinctive special day for rest, recreation and worship, as it is in the remainder of Europe.

My Bill would remove the anomalies and confusions of the 1950 Act. It would update and modernise the law by a type-of-shop approach, not by the use of lists or classes of goods. Local authorities would be asked to administer the scheme for a fee, which would make it self-funding, and with a simple system of registration. There would be a special provision in law for the smaller food and general convenience stores--the lifeblood of many neighbourhoods--to cater for the elderly, the infirm and those without cars who cannot take their custom very far. A clear mechanism of enforcement would be introduced, which would be fair and fully cost-effective.

When the House last debated Sunday trading on 13 December, the Minister of State, Home Office expressed her continuing openness to discussions. She said--I congratulate her on her perseverance : "If the solutions of the hon. Member for Ogmore command great support, we will consider them with great interest."--[ Official Report, 12 December 1991 ; Vol. 200, c. 1210.]

I therefore remind the House that the proposals in my Bill have the unanimous support of all Churches and denominations in Britain, numerous local authority and local government associations, more than 150 large high street retailers--including more than 50 per cent. of the British Retailers Association--together with companies with household names such as C and A, the Co-op and Iceland. Other companies are broadly in sympathy with the type-of-shop approach in my Bill, including Marks and Spencer, the Sears group, House of Fraser, the John Lewis Partnership, the Burton group, and organisations representing some 10,000 convenience stores. Some 42 trade associations--

Mr. Speaker : Order. Will the hon. Gentleman please bring his remarks to a close? He has had 10 minutes.

Mr. Powell : We now have the chance to change the law. If the House approves my Bill, it will create an historic opportunity to reform the law, to redeem the authority of Parliament and to satisfy all who genuinely seek consensus change. It is practicable, enforceable, and acceptable to the country at large, and it commands a majority in Parliament. Above all, it meets the needs of a variety of interests and desires on a matter of conscience. This debate relates to the quality of life of millions of people. My Bill gives practical expression to values that are beyond price. I beg to ask leave to present it to the House.

Question put :--

The House divided : Ayes 224, Noes 4.

Division No. 48] [3.44 pm

AYES

Adams, Mrs Irene (Paisley, N.)

Adley, Robert

Alison, Rt Hon Michael

Allen, Graham

Alton, David

Anderson, Donald

Archer, Rt Hon Peter

Arnold, Jacques (Gravesham)

Ashton, Joe

Barnes, Harry (Derbyshire NE)

Barron, Kevin

Battle, John

Beckett, Margaret

Beggs, Roy

Beith, A. J.

Bell, Stuart

Benn, Rt Hon Tony

Bennett, A. F. (D'nt'n & R'dish)

Benyon, W.

Blunkett, David

Boateng, Paul

Bowden, Gerald (Dulwich)

Braine, Rt Hon Sir Bernard

Brown, Nicholas (Newcastle E)

Burns, Simon

Burt, Alistair

Caborn, Richard

Callaghan, Jim

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Column 319

Campbell, Ron (Blyth Valley)

Canavan, Dennis

Carlile, Alex (Mont'g)

Churchill, Mr

Clark, Dr Michael (Rochford)

Clarke, Tom (Monklands W)

Clelland, David

Conway, Derek

Cook, Frank (Stockton N)

Coombs, Anthony (Wyre F'rest)

Corbyn, Jeremy

Cormack, Patrick

Cousins, Jim

Cox, Tom

Crowther, Stan

Cryer, Bob

Cummings, John

Cunliffe, Lawrence

Dalyell, Tam

Davis, Terry (B'ham Hodge H'l)

Day, Stephen

Dickens, Geoffrey

Dixon, Don

Dobson, Frank

Dover, Den

Durant, Sir Anthony

Eadie, Alexander

Eastham, Ken

Edwards, Huw

Emery, Sir Peter

Enright, Derek

Ewing, Harry (Falkirk E)

Fatchett, Derek

Faulds, Andrew

Flannery, Martin

Flynn, Paul

Foot, Rt Hon Michael

Foster, Derek

Foulkes, George

Fry, Peter

Gale, Roger

Galloway, George

Garrett, John (Norwich South)

George, Bruce

Golding, Mrs Llin

Gordon, Mildred

Graham, Thomas

Greenway, Harry (Ealing N)

Gregory, Conal

Griffiths, Peter (Portsmouth N)

Griffiths, Win (Bridgend)

Grocott, Bruce

Hain, Peter

Hannam, Sir John

Hardy, Peter

Hargreaves, Ken (Hyndburn)

Harris, David

Heal, Mrs Sylvia

Higgins, Rt Hon Terence L.

Hinchliffe, David

Hind, Kenneth

Hoey, Kate (Vauxhall)

Hogg, N. (C'nauld & Kilsyth)

Home Robertson, John

Hood, Jimmy

Hordern, Sir Peter

Howarth, George (Knowsley N)

Howell, Rt Hon D. (S'heath)

Howell, Ralph (North Norfolk)

Howells, Dr. Kim (Pontypridd)

Hoyle, Doug

Hughes, Robert (Aberdeen N)

Hughes, Roy (Newport E)

Hughes, Simon (Southwark)

Illsley, Eric

Ingram, Adam

Janner, Greville

Jessel, Toby

Johnson Smith, Sir Geoffrey

Jones, Ieuan (Ynys Mo n)

Jones, Martyn (Clwyd S W)

Jopling, Rt Hon Michael

Kaufman, Rt Hon Gerald

Kellett-Bowman, Dame Elaine

Kilfedder, James

Kilfoyle, Peter

Knight, Dame Jill (Edgbaston)

Kumar, Dr. Ashok

Lambie, David

Lamond, James

Latham, Michael

Leadbitter, Ted

Leighton, Ron

Lewis, Terry

Livingstone, Ken

Lofthouse, Geoffrey

Lord, Michael

Loyden, Eddie

Luce, Rt Hon Sir Richard

McAvoy, Thomas

McCartney, Ian

McCrea, Rev William

McFall, John

McKay, Allen (Barnsley West)

McMaster, Gordon

McNair-Wilson, Sir Michael

McNamara, Kevin

McWilliam, John

Madden, Max

Mahon, Mrs Alice

Marek, Dr John

Martin, Michael J. (Springburn)

Martlew, Eric

Meacher, Michael

Meale, Alan

Meyer, Sir Anthony

Michie, Bill (Sheffield Heeley)

Moate, Roger

Molyneaux, Rt Hon James

Morgan, Rhodri

Morley, Elliot

Morris, Rt Hon J. (Aberavon)

Morris, M (N'hampton S)

Mowlam, Marjorie

Murphy, Paul

Nellist, Dave

Neubert, Sir Michael

Nicholson, David (Taunton)

Oakes, Rt Hon Gordon

O'Brien, William

Orme, Rt Hon Stanley

Paisley, Rev Ian

Parry, Robert

Patchett, Terry

Pawsey, James

Pendry, Tom

Pike, Peter L.

Porter, David (Waveney)

Powell, Ray (Ogmore)

Primarolo, Dawn

Quin, Ms Joyce

Redmond, Martin

Rees, Rt Hon Merlyn

Rhodes James, Sir Robert

Robinson, Geoffrey

Robinson, Peter (Belfast E)

Rogers, Allan

Ross, William (Londonderry E)

Rossi, Sir Hugh

Rowlands, Ted

Ruddock, Joan

Sedgemore, Brian

Sheldon, Rt Hon Robert

Shelton, Sir William

Shersby, Michael

Shore, Rt Hon Peter

Short, Clare

Skinner, Dennis

Smith, Rt Hon J. (Monk'ds E)

Smith, J. P. (Vale of Glam)

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