Hansard

The Presiding Officer (Mr George Reid): NPA

The next item of business is stage 3 of the Christmas Day and New Year's Day Trading (Scotland) Bill. In dealing with amendments, members should have copies ...

Section 1—Large shops not to open on Christmas Day or New Year's Day

The Presiding Officer: NPA

Group 1 is on the application of the bill to new year's day. Amendment 1, in the name of the minister, is grouped with amendments 2 and 3.

The Minister for Justice (Cathy Jamieson): Lab

The bill is an important measure that sets out to prohibit large shops from making retail sales on our two traditionally most important public holidays. Ther...

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): LD

I acknowledge the minister's constructive comments. At stage 1, the Executive presented evidence that about 80 per cent of all shop workers will not fall wit...

Cathy Jamieson: Lab

As Mr Purvis has suggested, many shop workers will not be covered by the bill, such as those who work in small shops. That is a given and we understood that ...

Mr Stewart Maxwell (West of Scotland) (SNP): SNP

No one wants Christmas day and new year's day to become general trading days, and I agree with much of what the minister said in her opening remarks. The Jus...

Mrs Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): Lab

I still have concerns about the proposed voluntary code. Although I am not a member of the Justice 2 Committee, I sat through the evidence on the bill. The S...

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): Con

The Scottish Conservatives' position on the bill has been clear from the outset—I made it clear when Parliament debated the bill at stage 1. We do not have d...

The Deputy Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning (Allan Wilson): Lab

Does Murdo Fraser agree that there is a difference between a person who works in an essential service or a continuous manufacturing process being contractual...

Murdo Fraser: Con

The minister makes the argument for extending the bill to cover shops of all sizes and other industries. Why does the bill restrict trading only in particula...

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): LD

I pay tribute to Karen Whitefield. The Liberal Democrats in Parliament share her desire to keep Christmas day and new year's day as special days that are not...

Mark Ballard (Lothians) (Green): Green

It is clear that the case has not been made that Scotland will miss out on income if the largest stores cannot open on new year's day.Mary Mulligan clearly d...

Karen Gillon (Clydesdale) (Lab): Lab

Why does the member think that it is okay to work in a small business but not in a big business on new year's day? I am in a quandary about that, because the...

Mark Ballard: Green

The Scottish Grocers Federation clearly pointed out the difference between a family shop and a big business in which there is the potential for employees to ...

Colin Fox (Lothians) (SSP): SSP

The Executive is in an utter mess over the bill. The minister told us that the bill is important in that it will prevent trading on Christmas day. She said t...

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): Con

It would have been nice if Mary Mulligan had attended the Justice 2 Committee and laid before it the evidence that she claims she has, identifying all the in...

Mrs Mulligan: Lab

If Mr Davidson sees the bill as an infringement on trade, why is he happy to accept the measures for Christmas day, but not those for new year's day?

Mr Davidson: Con

Very simply, we do not think that there should be a bill at all. There was no evidence that anybody, at this stage, wants to trade on Christmas day. The reta...

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): Lab

Is it Mr Davidson's viewpoint that people do not want to trade on Christmas day, or are the Tories playing to the church vote that they think they might get ...

Mr Davidson: Con

I am sorry, but given that I ran retail businesses that had to operate on Christmas day to provide a public service, I think that that comment is a wee bit m...

Members:

That is not the same thing.

Mr Davidson: Con

I hear members shouting from a sedentary position, but what is the difference between somebody who works to meet a public need, whether related to health or ...

Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD): LD

How can the bill be a restraint on trade? The bill prevents large shops from opening on Christmas day, when they do not open anyway; the amendments would let...

Mr Davidson: Con

Restraint on trade is the principle of the bill.

Mike Rumbles: LD

It does not restrain—

Mr Davidson: Con

I did not introduce the bill; Karen Whitefield did. The point is that, if there is no market, people will not open their premises. People should be left to r...

Karen Whitefield: Lab

It is important to concentrate on the real issue before the Parliament this morning: the needs and rights of many of Scotland's shop workers, both those who ...

John Swinburne (Central Scotland) (SSCUP): SSCUP

Does Karen Whitefield agree that everyone who votes for ordinary working people going to work on new year's day should be prepared to come in here on the sam...

Karen Whitefield: Lab

I have some sympathy with that argument. It is unlikely that anyone in the chamber works on new year's day or Christmas day. We take that for granted, as do ...