Clause 9 - The Registrar
Hunting Bill
11:15 am
Mr James Gray (North Wiltshire, Conservative)
No, I will not. I am replying to the hon. Member for Wolverhampton, South-West. The hon. Gentleman made the point that judges and magistrates are allowed to be members of political parties. That is quite correct, but their membership of such parties is irrelevant to their judgment of cases that come before them. It is unlikely that they would come to the conclusion that a person was guilty or innocent because of membership of a political party. However, their judgment on a matter of this sort, which is intensely political in nature, may well be changed by membership of a particular party, and that should not happen. The hon. Gentleman has made his point, and I hope that I have answered it reasonably satisfactorily.
It seems to us that the registrar and the tribunal should know what they are talking about and the area concerned. That is important for both sides of the Committee—[Interruption.]. The noisiness of Labour Members suggests that they do not want the registrar to be dispassionate. They do not like the suggestion that his standing should be above reproach. Members of the League Against Cruel Sports and Labour Members of Parliament are happy for him to be biased. I am not. The purpose of the amendments is to ensure that the registrar and the tribunal are acceptable
It being twenty-five minutes past Eleven o'clock, The Chairman adjourned the Committee without Question put, pursuant to the Standing Order.
Adjourned till this day at half-past Two o'clock.