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MPs
set to ban hare hunting
MPs
VOTED last week to ban the ancient sport of hare hunting with
hounds in an amendment to the Government's Hunting Bill.
In a vote which led to allegations that the Government had "lost
control", Alun Michael, the rural affairs minister, declined
to vote in defence of his Bill. Peter Bradley, his parliamentary
private secretary, and Nick Ainger, the Labour whip, voted for
abolition.
The Bill presented to the Commons before Christmas banned hare
coursing and deer hunting but hare hunting was to be permitted,
subject to a decision that it passed tests of "utility"
and "least suffering".
After yesterday's vote in the Bill's committee stage, hare hunting
will be banned if the Lords pass the Bill in its present form.
Hare hunting has one of the longest histories of any of the hound
sports, going back several hundred years.
It is followed by about 30,000 people and there are about 70 packs
of hare hounds - bassets, beagles and harriers - in England and
Wales. Some famous public schools, including Eton, Radley, Ampleforth
and Marlborough, have their own packs.
MPs voted for an amendment banning hare hunting brought by Michael
Foster, sponsor of a previous private member's Bill banning hunting.
He dropped his much-ridiculed amendment to ban foxhunting below
500 metres (1600 feet) above sea level.
James Gray, shadow rural affairs spokesman, said: "The whole
Bill is now out of control. It has been taken over by backbenchers
who are ripping it to pieces.
"As presented by Alun Michael, it had some intellectual coherence.
We didn't like it but that has now been completely destroyed."
Simon Hart, of the Countryside Alliance, said it was "outrageous"
that Mr Michael, who is known personally to oppose hunting but
has promoted a compromise, did not even vote for his own Bill.
"Any credibility he once had is blown. This was a disgraceful
act of deceit."
Declared Mr Hart.
John Gummer, former Tory environment secretary, said: "In
25 years in Parliament, I have never before seen a minister not
vote for his own Bill." |
