Clause 14 - Application on behalf of group
Hunting Bill
6:00 pm
Mr James Gray (North Wiltshire, Conservative)
The Minister has made a useful contribution, because he identified a key matter of definition. Where the word ''hunting'' appears in the Bill, it refers specifically to those people who control the dogs. That is important, because previous Bills lacked clarity as to whether ''hunting'' means controlling the dogs or following the hunt in one way or another.
I remain puzzled, however, if the notion is that a large number of unregistered people will go out to control the dogs, because it is extremely unlikely that a hunt would allow that. Unregistered people would be in the field following the hunt, not controlling the dogs. The huntsmen and whippers-in would control the dogs. I have never heard of any organisation allowing unregistered people to control the dogs.