(1) Subject to the provisions of this section, it shall not be lawful for the proprietor of any shop to keep such shop open for the serving of customers later than the hour of 1 p.m. on the weekday in any week which is in relation to such shop the weekly half-holiday in that week.

(2) Where a shop is closed during the whole day on the occasion of a public holiday in any week and that day is not the weekly half-holiday in respect of such shop in that week, it shall be lawful for the proprietor of such shop to keep such shop open for the serving of customers after the hour of 1 p.m. on the weekly half-holiday immediately preceding or immediately succeeding that public holiday.

(3) The Minister may, whenever and so often as he thinks fit, by order under this sub-section -

(a) declare that a particular area (being an area frequented as a holiday resort during certain seasons of the year) specified or delimited in such order shall be an exempted area for the purposes of such order, and

(b) suspend during a specified period within such season in respect of all shops of a particular class (defined in such manner and by reference to such things as the Minister thinks proper) situate in such exempted area the operation of sub-section (1) of this section.