Trail-hunting Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Lord Roborough
Main Page: Lord Roborough (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)Department Debates - View all Lord Roborough's debates with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
(1 day, 10 hours ago)
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Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab)
As I said, this is a manifesto commitment and it is my responsibility to deliver it. On the other concerns that my noble friend raised, we will start the consultation soon. I encourage people to look at it and take part, because it will be comprehensive.
Lord Roborough (Con)
My Lords, our rural police forces are already overstretched, and banning a harmless country pursuit will simply stretch them further and alienate them from the community they protect. As has been discussed, hunting with dogs has already been banned by Parliament. This has resulted in only 52 convictions for organised hunts, with only one of those based on evidence collected by the police. Rather than now targeting trail-hunting, have the Government considered that laws that cannot be effectively enforced by the police are bad laws?
Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab)
It is also important to stress that, if there is a law, people should obey it.