Clause 22 - Content of the register
Hunting Bill
10:00 am
Mr James Gray (North Wiltshire, Conservative)
Amendment No. 232, which was moved by the hon. Gentleman, and amendment No. 270, which was tabled in my name and those of my hon. Friends, are direct opposites, and I shall therefore speak to them together.
It is entirely unnecessary to record the applicants' names—particularly the group applicants—in any form that might become public. There is no suggestion that that such a record would assist in promoting animal welfare or that the registrar would be more inclined to be in favour of applicants or against them. There is also no suggestion that there would be any change to clause 8, which is the central clause of the Bill. It is pointless, from either an animal welfare standpoint or a hunting standpoint, publicly to record peoples' names. I am therefore not certain why the hon. Gentleman has tabled the amendment.
If one seeks to restrict hunting, as the hon. Gentleman does, why should it be necessary for the registrar, who will have carefully considered the relative cruelty and utility of the matter before deciding to register a particular individual, to publish those names? The police do not publish the names and addresses of those people to whom they have granted shotgun licences.