Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Environment, Food and Rural Affairs – in the House of Commons at 10:30 am on 15 December 2005.
I am afraid that I cannot give the hon. Gentleman that commitment. Some contest the claims made against such training collars. Some trainers and individual owners say, for example, that they have used such a collar once and it has prevented their dog from chasing sheep and they have never had to use it again, so they have helped themselves and farmers. There is a debate to be had. We have committed the Government to conducting some research because I am not in favour of banning things unless there is good evidence for so doing.