Clause 13 - Application by individual
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)
The simple answer is that if the activity is the hunting that is regulated by the Bill, it must come under the Bill's provisions. If not, it will not be affected. One can get on the wrong side of the argument about ages, and the danger to young people on farms from farm machinery is another issue that has been raised on several occasions. I saw one article recently in which a farmer was saying, tellingly, that far from being outraged by the idea of increasing the age limit, his son saw it as ending exploitation, not only through being put at risk but through child labour around the farm.
More seriously, a line has to be drawn, and in view of the responsibilities and the comparison that I drew with other positions of responsibility, the age limit of 18 is right. The hon. Member for Taunton has made a reasonable point, but I urge him not to press the amendments to a Division.