Results 1-20 of 49 for hunting speaker:Norman Baker

Public Bill Committee: Local Transport Bill [ Lords ]: Clause 20 (29 Apr 2008)

Norman Baker: ...hon. Member for Wimbledon rightly referred to good will, which is an important issue to take into account. Historically, the Government have approached it in different ways. For example, under the Hunting Bill—if I dare mention it—no compensation was provided, because people still had their horses, stables and so on. On the other hand, when fur farming was made illegal,...

Business of the House: Third Sector Review (18 Oct 2007)

Norman Baker: ...will have a further opportunity to deal with that particular point and that quote at the end. My understanding is that it is perfectly possible to be highly political—on an issue such as hunting, for example, which strongly divided the House— without being party political. That is a key difference for me, suggesting where voluntary organisations should go in this respect. In my...

Business of the House: Third Sector Review (18 Oct 2007)

Norman Baker: I am trying to establish in my own mind where the Conservative party is on this issue, and I have a genuine question about it. For example, in the case of hunting—a partisan issue that is largely associated with one party or another in the mind of the public—does the right hon. Gentleman agree that the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals should have been free to...

Written Answers — Environment Food and Rural Affairs: Hunting (15 Mar 2007)

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Hunting Act 2004 in achieving its objectives.

Written Answers — Home Department: Dr. David Kelly (5 Jun 2006)

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which individual decided that Dr. Nicholas Hunt should be the pathologist chosen to investigate the death of Dr. David Kelly in July 2003.

Written Answers — Environment Food and Rural Affairs: Whales (14 Jun 2005)

Norman Baker: ...State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what further steps she intends to take following the decision of the Japanese authorities to (a) increase the quota of minke whale taking and (b) begin hunting the humpback whale.

Orders of the Day — Natural Environment and Rural Communities Bill (6 Jun 2005)

Norman Baker: ...a large number of responses—14,000 I think the Minister said—but they have tried to do the impossible and to find some theoretical mid-point that satisfies everybody, as they did with hunting. There is not a mid-point with hunting; there is either a for or an against, as there is over rights of way. There are legitimate views on either side of the argument, but a mid-point...

Members' Allowances (3 Nov 2004)

Mr Norman Baker: And on hunting.

Written Answers — Environment Food and Rural Affairs: Hunting Ban (29 Apr 2004)

Mr Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans are in place to prevent the destruction of hunting dogs in the event of a hunting ban being introduced.

Waste and Emissions Trading Bill [Lords]: Clause 2 — Non-target Years (28 Oct 2003)

Mr Norman Baker: ...the period of just over a year in which I have been an environment spokesman, there has not been a single oral statement by the Secretary of State on an environmental issue. There has been one on hunting, but not on environmental issues. The Minister may therefore need to think about DEFRA's priorities. He does not need to convince Opposition Members of the need to take action but his...

Written Answers — Environment Food and Rural Affairs: Foxhound Packs (3 Mar 2003)

Mr Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many foxhound packs there are in England and Wales; and how many hunts have taken place in each of the last five years.

Written Answers — Environment, Food and the Regions: Commercial Whaling (6 Feb 2003)

Mr Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action the Government is taking to ensure that no commercial whale hunting will resume within EU waters; if the Government will take steps to ensure that EU waters are made a whale sanctuary; and if she will make a statement.

Public Bill Committee: Police Reform Bill [Lords]: New Clause 10 - Railway safety accreditation scheme (25 Jun 2002)

Mr Norman Baker: ..., such as throwing stones or trespassing. If we could do something to stop that, I have some sympathy with his point. However, presumably the trespassing powers will be unable to deal with the many hunts that seem to roam across railway lines willy-nilly and do not seem to be controlled or stopped by anyone, let alone operatives under such a scheme. I listened carefully to the Minister,...

Ministerial Accountability and Parliamentary Questions (21 Mar 2002)

Mr Norman Baker: I apologise for being slightly late because I was covering the hunting statement in the House for my colleagues. I also apologise to the hon. Member for Cannock Chase (Tony Wright) for missing some of his contribution. I am pleased that he is Chairman of the Public Administration Committee, because he seems to be a principled, committed democrat who is doing a good job. I am sorry if those...

Hunting with Dogs (21 Mar 2002)

Mr Norman Baker: I welcome the fact that the Minister has made an early statement to the House, following the debates in both Houses earlier this week. Since 1997, Parliament has spent more than 130 hours discussing hunting. The Minister is therefore right to say that we need to reach a conclusion "once and for all", to use the words in his statement. However, I notice that the process that he has set out...

Hunting With Dogs (18 Mar 2002)

Mr Norman Baker: We have explained many times that it has long been a tradition for our party conference to vote for a ban on hunting. It has equally been the case, however, that the parliamentary party has consistently decided that this is a matter of conscience and people can vote accordingly. There is nothing wrong with that, and it would be healthier if we saw greater diversity in the other parties. I...

Hunting With Dogs (18 Mar 2002)

Mr Norman Baker: No, not at the moment. I have sympathy with that view not because this issue is not important—it is—but because we are going round and round in circles. We have discussed foxhunting many more times than any other issue. We have had at least three votes on this substantive issue since 1997, and today we will have the fourth. On each occasion there has been a clear majority in...

Hunting With Dogs (18 Mar 2002)

Mr Norman Baker: I agree. I remember the Minister picking me up on that point in the previous debate on the subject and disagreeing with that in principle. However, although I personally strongly hold the view that hunting should be banned, I think that it is for the Welsh Assembly to sort out the situation in Wales. It is wrong for us to legislate on this issue in Wales. The position would be stronger if...

Hunting With Dogs (18 Mar 2002)

Mr Norman Baker: ...way? Does that make a difference? I do not think that it does. Will the Minister agree that the issue needs to be settled once and for all, and that this should be the last substantive debate on hunting in this House? I turn briefly to one or two personal remarks to set out my position. I have listened carefully, as I am sure have hon. Members throughout the House, to my constituents on...

Hunting With Dogs (18 Mar 2002)

Mr Norman Baker: If the hon. Gentleman will bear with me, I will come on to farming issues in a moment. If hunting is essentially cruel, as I believe it is, the question is whether there are any other factors in the calculation that outweigh that so that hunting can be allowed to continue. I make that calculation carefully because no Liberal wants automatically to jump towards a ban. Indeed, we are often...