THE HAGUE, 23/01/09 - The cabinet is going ahead with its proposed bill to change the shop opening times act as planned. There is no majority in the Lower House for the proposal to restrict the number of Sundays on which shops may open.

The centre-left D66 had requested an interlocutory debate after the Retail Trade Council (PD) calculated this week that the restriction envisaged would cost 15,000-20,000 jobs. The conservatives (VVD), Party for Freedom (PVV) and leftwing Greens (GroenLinks) also urged the withdrawal of the bill.

Economic Affairs Minister Maria van der Hoeven (Christian democrat, CDA) denied that the proposal was only an ideological coalition gesture by CDA and Labour (PvdA) to ChristenUnie. That party, which was only invited to join the coalition government in order to give it a majority, considers Sunday is the day of God.

Twelve Sundays per year will remain shopping days. However, municipalities can currently allow shops to open on more Sundays if this is good for local tourism. Since the law does not specify what tourist attractions are, virtually all municipalities can call themselves tourist locations now. The bill restricts the freedom of local councils here.

Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht and The Hague (G4) fear that they, too, will be affected by the bill. "We will do everything possible to torpedo this bill," The Hague's alderman Kool said earlier on behalf of the G4.