This Parliament passed the Christmas Day and New Year’s Day Trading (Scotland) Act 2007, in which provision was made—this was subject, of course, to consultation—for the Scottish ministers to stop large stores trading on new year’s day. The First Minister knows, as we all do, that retail staff work very hard, especially at this time of year, when they face longer hours and, indeed, more demanding customers. They deserve a break. The Scottish National Party says that it believes in fair work, yet it has rejected calls from the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers to fully implement the bill. Why is the First Minister opposed to giving staff in large stores the day off on new year’s day?
