Animal Welfare Bill
10:30 am
Ben Bradshaw (Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Local Environment, Marine and Animal Welfare), Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Exeter, Labour)
I beg to move,
That—
(1) during the proceedings on the Animal Welfare Bill the Standing Committee shall (in addition to its first meeting at 10.30 am on Tuesday 17th January) meet—
(a) at 4.00 pm on Tuesday 17th January;
(b) at 9.00 am and 1.00 pm on Thursday 19th January;
(c) at 10.30 am and 4.00 pm on Tuesday 24th January; and
(d) at 9.00 am and 1.00 pm on Thursday 26th January.
(2) the proceedings shall be taken in the following order: Clauses 1 to 11; Schedule I; Clauses 12 to 47; Schedule 2; Clauses 48 to 58; Schedule 3: Clause 59; Schedule 4; Clauses 60 to 63; new Clauses; new Schedules; remaining proceedings on the Bill;
(3) the proceedings shall (so far as not previously concluded) be brought to a conclusion at 4.00 pm on Thursday 26th January.)
I begin by warmly welcoming you to the Chair, Mr. Gale. I look forward to steering the Bill through Committee under your guidance. As you have already intimated, you are president of the Conservative Animal Welfare Group, so you have some expertise in the subject, which can only be helpful during our deliberations. As you know, this is the first time that I have steered a Bill through Committee as a Minister, and I seek your help and guidance, and that of the rest of the Committee, to get through our business smoothly in the next fortnight.
I also welcome to the Committee the hon. Members for Leominster (Bill Wiggin) and for Lewes (Norman Baker), who asked on Second Reading for a constructive and open dialogue with the Government in the remaining proceedings on the Bill. I believe that we have done fairly well so far, and I look forward to working with Opposition Front Benchers to place the Bill on the statute book as soon as possible. Finally, before I discuss more substantial matters, I welcome all members of the Committee.
We have provided for eight sittings to debate the Bill. We believe that that is an appropriate number, given the length of the Bill and the extensive pre-legislative scrutiny of it. The Bill has already undergone pre-legislative and post-introduction scrutiny by the Select Committee on Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and we made several improvements and amendments to the Bill in the light of that pre-legislative report. As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs did on Second Reading, I take this opportunity to pay tribute to the Select Committee, and particularly to its Chairman, the right hon. Member for Fylde (Mr. Jack), for the Committee's deft handling of the process and its helpful reports.
I recognise that many of the Bill's provisions are of interest, and that some are controversial. Inevitably, we shall not always see eye to eye on some of the measures. I am, however, sure that the debates will be constructive and that the Committee will co-operate to cover all the necessary points in the time allowed.