Animal Welfare Bill

It is pretty obvious that if a dog has not got a tail, it is not going to injure it. I would ban all amputation of dogs’ tails. We could look at the question of working dogs and if there was a large increase in tail injuries, we could perhaps introduce secondary legislation to change the law. However, that is not what we are talking about. I do not know about other Members, but until I received from the Dogs Trust a photograph of a very handsome boxer with a tail—I have it in my hand—I had not seen a boxer with a tail. Boxers are not working dogs. This is what we should be working toward. I do not wish to say any more. I thanked the Minister when he came to do the APGAW reception for his command of his brief. I said then that it is a good Bill, which it is, but that it will be made better by amendment, and I still believe that.