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SHOPS AND OFFICES LEGISLATION
Within the Department's Inspectorate are three Shops & Offices
Inspectors which includes a Senior Inspector.
The Section is responsible for the enforcement of the following
legislation:-
Shops Acts 1950 — 65
Young Persons (Employment) Acts 1938 — 64
Offices, Shops & Railway Premises Act 1963 (in part)
Ancillary duties include:-
Consumer Protection Act 1961
Gaming Act 1968
Essex County Council Act 1933 (Employment Agencies)
In February one of the Inspectorate left to take up a similar
appointment with the City of London. In June a replacement was
appointed and at present he is receiving comprehensive training
with a view to securing early qualification.
THE SHOPS ACTS 1950 - 1965
The Shops Acts control the opening hours of shops, both on
weekdays and Sundays, and also seek to ensure that staff receive
certain basic entitlements such as meal breaks, rest periods,
weekly half holidays, time off for Sunday employment, as well as
to control the maximum hours of employment of young persons
under the age of eighteen.
ABOLISH OR IGNORE?
During the year the Shops Acts have received a great deal of
publicity. First Mr. Evelyn King, M P. sought to abolish closing
hours completely, a move which failed. Secondly many saw fit to
challenge the restrictive Sunday arrangements of the Act only to
find that the Courts were adamant that the law was there to be
enforced.
Today's problem is that fines laid down years ago no longer act
as a deterrent and many have found it profitable to engage in
illegal Sunday trading.
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