Animals Act 1971 (Amendment) Bill

Part of Orders of the Day – in the House of Commons at 10:23 am on 14 March 2008.

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Photo of Andrew Dismore Andrew Dismore Labour, Hendon 10:23, 14 March 2008

Let us suppose that a family goes out for a walk to the countryside on a Sunday afternoon. They are walking along a country lane that is a bridlepath, when a horse comes the other way and injures a child, who could be crippled. Under the Bill, the child may end up with no compensation, and the family would be left looking after that child for the rest of its life with no financial support from any insurance company, because most people will not be insured against that sort of risk. Who should bear the risk—the stable, which makes money out of a business, or the injured child's family?