IT has taken a very long time, but Jersey now has a Sunday trading law that makes at least a certain amount of sense. In essence, all but the Island’s largest supermarkets and garden centres will soon be allowed to open on a Sunday if they so choose, subject to the permission of the Constable of the parish in which they trade.

The new law, approved yesterday in the States, finally does away with the more blatant absurdities of trading on the Sabbath. As the Constable of St Clement, Len Norman, who proposed the changes, pointed out, ludicrous anomalies, such as shops being allowed to sell cat food but not cat litter, have been ironed out.

That said, rationalisation of the law does not mean that Sunday trading will abruptly become uncontentious throughout the Island. The ‘keep Sunday special’ lobby, motivated either by religious feelings or a desire for at least one tranquil day of the week, will not be pleased by the outcome of yesterday’s debate. Equally, those who are concerned that some shop workers will be coerced into working on a day of rest will remain concerned.

Interestingly, although the issues of possible coercion and the special status of Sunday were raised in the House, remarkably little attention was paid to the religious dimension of the argument. This was no doubt a reflection of attitudes shifting in the community as a whole as well as among Members.

Meanwhile, although the new law can be viewed as a liberalisation of regulations, it stops well short of permitting a free-for-all. The requirement for parish-level permission to open, with the scope that this offers for the consideration of the impact of traffic and other potential nuisances, is of utmost importance.

In addition, it is right and proper that Liberation Day, Good Friday, Christmas Day and Boxing Day are to be regarded as exceptions. By common consent, these days are regarded as extra special and it is appropriate that they should not be redefined as ordinary trading days.

It remains to be seen how many of those shops entitled to open will actually choose to trade.

The new law might, in fact, have less impact than many might suppose. As was pointed out during the debate, many St Helier shops which were already entitled to open on a Sunday declined to do so, either through lack of interest in trading for an extra day or through lack of demand.