Contributions
1,212 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDAnimal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill (Sixth sitting)It is true that a lot of examining of evidence is going on, but that cannot be portrayed as a bad thing. I share the enthusiasm of the hon. Member for Sheffield, Hallam for…18 Nov 2021HANSARDAnimal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill (Sixth sitting)Well, I believe in democracy—I do not know about you.18 Nov 2021HANSARDAnimal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill (Sixth sitting)I know you do, Mr Davies. You are quite right—I do not know about the hon. Member for Cambridge. As we are coming to the end of these proceedings—I hope, pleasurable though they…18 Nov 2021HANSARDAnimal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill (Sixth sitting)I beg to move amendment 82, title, line 2, at end insert “; and for connected purposes.” The amendment updates the long title of the Bill. I thank you, Mr Davies, all Members who…18 Nov 2021HANSARDAnimal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill (Fifth sitting)Oh good—please do.18 Nov 2021HANSARDAnimal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill (Fifth sitting)It is a pleasure to be here again, Mr Davies. I am going to speak once on zoos, unless I need to answer anything specific: there is a lot to get through, and it is quite…18 Nov 2021HANSARDAnimal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill (Fifth sitting)I thank my hon. Friend for his intervention. I know that he feels very strongly about this issue, but I reassure him that we have tried to use the normally understood meaning of…18 Nov 2021HANSARDAnimal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill (Third sitting)This clause, as amended, will prohibit the keeping of primates in England and Wales without a primate licence unless the primates are being kept under another licensing regime,…16 Nov 2021HANSARDAnimal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill (Third sitting)Amendment 114 states that primates kept under direction must have their welfare needs met as laid out under the Animal Welfare Act, as the hon. Gentleman said. We all agree, of…16 Nov 2021HANSARDAnimal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill (Third sitting)Part of the issue, as we heard in evidence, is that we are not clear on how many primates are in private ownership. That is why we thought very carefully about the new licensing…16 Nov 2021HANSARDAnimal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill (Third sitting)The schedule introduces the transitional registration scheme that we were just talking about, for those who keep primates before the prohibition in clause 1 comes into force. The…16 Nov 2021HANSARDAnimal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill (Third sitting)The purpose of the amendments is to strengthen the functions of local authorities under the new licensing regime. Amendment 4 will ensure that the premises where the primate is…16 Nov 2021HANSARDAnimal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill (Third sitting)The schedule allows a local authority to issue fixed penalty notices where it is satisfied that the person has committed an offence relating to the keeping, breeding or…16 Nov 2021HANSARDAnimal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill (Third sitting)I will be brief. The fixed penalty notice as a tool in the toolbox is a very good description. I remind the Committee that, of course, if the ultimate offence, which we have just…16 Nov 2021HANSARDAnimal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill (Third sitting)I beg to move amendment 4, in clause 2, page 2, line 6, after “species” insert “at such premises”. This amendment spells out that a primate licence must specify the premises to…16 Nov 2021HANSARDAnimal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill (Third sitting)We believe that six years is the right length for a primate licence. The length of the licence and the number of inspections, which I will detail in a minute, is in line with the…16 Nov 2021HANSARDAnimal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill (Third sitting)For the reasons we set out in earlier debates, the aim of this legislation is to ensure that primates are kept to very high—at least zoo-level—welfare standards and that those who…16 Nov 2021HANSARDAnimal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill (Third sitting)That is a fair question. Local authorities will be able to charge fees, both for any initial licence application and for registration under the transition scheme that we talked…16 Nov 2021HANSARDAnimal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill (Third sitting)As we have heard, the clause specifies the number and type of primate that licence holders are permitted to keep. It will ensure that licence holders keep neither more primates…16 Nov 2021HANSARDAnimal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill (Third sitting)The code I referred to earlier, which I would be delighted to share with the hon. Gentleman, already applies. It goes into some detail about the importance of social interaction…16 Nov 2021