Clause 8 - Tests for registration:
Hunting Bill
4:00 pm
Mr Alun Michael (Minister of State (Rural Affairs), Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Cardiff South and Penarth, Labour/Co-operative)
I understand that dichotomy, but in any legislation one must find the right principles to apply and then apply them in a practical manner. Those two points are not in conflict with one another but are two elements that need to be applied in creating good law.
That is why I have tried to find the right principles that a fair-minded person might reasonably regard as common sense in deciding what is acceptable and what is not acceptable in the ways that we use dogs to protect livestock and crops and the other elements set out in subsection (1), which describes the principle of utility. At the same time I have tried to construct a practical and workable Bill that will be strong and effective in implementation. That balance is enormously important in the design of legislation.