Clause 8 - Tests for registration:
Hunting Bill
4:45 pm
Mr Alun Michael (Minister of State (Rural Affairs), Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Cardiff South and Penarth, Labour/Co-operative)
The hon. Gentleman brings us back to the main mistake that a number of Opposition Members have made: namely, to talk about ''less cruel''. We need to consider what involves the least suffering, because that is what enables one to judge whether an activity is cruel. It is not a question of a bit of cruelty or of the Lembit scale of cruelty. To be fair, I think that the hon. Member for Montgomeryshire said that he wanted the Lembit scale of suffering to be the measure. We need to be careful about our language, otherwise we will lead ourselves astray and there will be a variety of unintended consequences.
Debate adjourned.—[Mr. Ainger.]
Adjourned accordingly at Five o'clock till Tuesday 14 January at five minutes to Nine o'clock.