Hunting (Re-committed) Bill
9:25 am
Mrs Marion Roe (Broxbourne, Conservative)
I am grateful to the hon. Member for North Wiltshire (Mr. Gray) for giving me notice that he wished to raise a point of order. I understand the strength of feeling about such matters and the House has decided that the Bill should be recommitted, and that the Committee should report not later than Monday. I am bound by those decisions and we cannot take time today to go over them again.
The Bill has been recommitted as a whole, which means that the Committee will have the chance to decide whether each clause and schedule should stand part of the Bill or be struck out. It has been recommitted
''for the purpose of making such amendments as the Committee consider to be necessary or expedient in consequence of the addition to the Bill of new clause 11 on consideration.''—[Official Report, 30 June 2003; Vol. 408, c. 144.]
That clause would stop the registration of foxhunting. While it is for members of the Committee to propose whichever amendments they regard as consequential, the Chair is exercising its powers of selection to ensure that amendments that meet the House's criteria are put before the Committee for debate. It is then for the Committee to decide on the amendments.