Contributions
1,811 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDWild Animals in Circuses (No. 2) Bill (Third sitting)I beg to move amendment 2, in clause 4, page 2, line 14, leave out “on 20 January 2020” and insert “on such day as the Secretary of State may by regulations made by statutory…22 May 2019HANSARDWild Animals in Circuses (No. 2) Bill (Third sitting)I entirely agree. If we as a country had taken this action in 2009 or 2010, as proposed by the last Labour Government, we would not be here and we would not be chasing the pack.…22 May 2019HANSARDWild Animals in Circuses (No. 2) Bill (Third sitting)I am concerned that, between now and the commencement date, new animals and new species could be brought into circuses. I do not agree with the Minister that the strength of…22 May 2019HANSARDWild Animals in Circuses (No. 2) Bill (Third sitting)I am trying to understand what the Minister said after his moment of inspiration. The implication is that there is a possibility that new animals and new species could be…22 May 2019HANSARDWild Animals in Circuses (No. 2) Bill (Third sitting)I beg to move amendment 5, in clause 1, page 2, line 4, leave out “commonly” and insert “normally”. This amendment would align the definition of “wild animal” with that used in…22 May 2019HANSARDWild Animals in Circuses (No. 2) Bill (Third sitting)On the basis of the Minister’s reassurances that there will be sufficient consequences for people who breach the law, I beg to ask leave to withdraw the motion. Clause, by leave,…22 May 2019HANSARDWild Animals in Circuses (No. 2) Bill (Third sitting)Based on the reassurances that the Minister has given—that the welfare of the animals can be looked after—I am happy to withdraw the clause. However, I think there is a strong…22 May 2019HANSARDWild Animals in Circuses (No. 2) Bill (Third sitting)Effectively, new clause 2 and amendment 3 continue the theme we explored in our debate on new clause 1 about the potential seizure of animals. They seek to ensure that there are…22 May 2019HANSARDWild Animals in Circuses (No. 2) Bill (Third sitting)I am grateful that there is a willingness to engage with the people who gave evidence to the Committee yesterday. Will the Minister say whether other stakeholders, who were not…22 May 2019HANSARDWild Animals in Circuses (No. 2) Bill (Third sitting)I agree with my hon. Friend about the Government’s choice of definitions to include, or not to include, in the Bill. Indeed, in evidence, we heard stakeholders’ concerns about the…22 May 2019HANSARDWild Animals in Circuses (No. 2) Bill (Third sitting)I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman, who makes a good point. The narrow scope of the Bill means that we need to ensure that the circus element is tightly drawn and understood. A…22 May 2019HANSARDWild Animals in Circuses (No. 2) Bill (Third sitting)On a point of order, Mrs Moon. I am attempting a nebulous point of order so as to put on record my thanks to the DEFRA officials for the work that they have done. I also thank the…22 May 2019HANSARDWild Animals in Circuses (No. 2) Bill (Third sitting)I beg to move amendment 1, in clause 1, page 2, line 3, at end insert— “‘travelling circus’ means a company or group of entertainers which (i) travels, whether regularly or…22 May 2019HANSARDWild Animals in Circuses (No.2) Bill (First sitting)Q I wanted to go back to Angie’s written submission, which talks about the circus animals suffering. There is a general understanding that banning wild animals from circuses is a…21 May 2019HANSARDWild Animals in Circuses (No.2) Bill (First sitting)Q Can I ask about the seizure of animals? In your written evidence you talked about the ability to deprive those convicted of the offences of the animals. It is implicit in the…21 May 2019HANSARDWild Animals in Circuses (No.2) Bill (First sitting)Q This was picked up in the answer that Nicola gave a moment ago about public views towards this. My sense from the research and the consultation that the last Labour Government…21 May 2019HANSARDWild Animals in Circuses (No.2) Bill (First sitting)Q Have you seen a movement of animals from countries that have implemented bans, such as Scotland, into countries that have not? Would this effectively encourage a trade in circus…21 May 2019HANSARDWild Animals in Circuses (No.2) Bill (First sitting)Q I would like to ask about the definition of a travelling circus, especially from an international perspective, given that a number of countries have similar bans. Do you think…21 May 2019HANSARDWild Animals in Circuses (No.2) Bill (First sitting)Q This question is similar to the one that my hon. Friend the Member for Bristol East asked the previous panel about the international experience of this ban. Do these bans work…21 May 2019HANSARDWild Animals in Circuses (No.2) Bill (First sitting)Q After the Second Reading debate when we talked about the 19 wild animals, I had a message from someone that asked, “Are they going to be destroyed or rehomed? What about the…21 May 2019