Clause 8 - Tests for registration:
Hunting Bill
2:30 pm
Mr Lembit Öpik (Montgomeryshire, Liberal Democrat)
To be clear—the hon. Gentleman's views are clear—there is a degree of alignment between
my view and about half of what he said. In other words, in areas such as mid-Wales, the fells and elsewhere, hunting with dogs is primarily regarded as a form of pest control. There is also a social element to it, but that is not the main reason that people go hunting there. Oftentimes, such groups tend to be regarded as foot packs because they use dogs but are not always on horseback. As my hon. Friend the Member for Mid-Worcestershire outlined, the justification for hunting in other areas is not primarily to control fox numbers, but there is a countryside management element to it. We should talk about that issue when we discuss clause 8(1). There is a debate to be had about whether recreational use should be included in that list, but we should leave it until we come to it.