Hunting Bill
4:30 pm
Mr James Gray (North Wiltshire, Conservative)
First, may I add our wholehearted welcome to you, Mrs. Roe? There was nothing half-hearted about our ''hear, hears'' a moment ago. I was surprised that the Minister failed to mention his Labour colleague who will be joining
you as your co-Chairman, Mrs. Roe. We also welcome him and note that the Minister omitted to do so.
It has been a long time—a year—since we sat in this Committee Room discussing yet another foxhunting Bill. There was another measure two years before that, and another two years further back. It is a spectacular waste of parliamentary time to be sitting here, doing that again. [Hon. Members: ''Go away, then.] Labour Members would like us to go away. It was not our preference to come up with such a Bill on foxhunting; the Government have introduced it and it is our important duty to try to make it better.
The Minister was right in saying that the press release that the Countryside Alliance kindly issued on my behalf this afternoon—