Animal Welfare Bill

I thank all members of the Committee and the Minister for his constructive approach to the Bill. At the beginning of its passage, I drew his attention to the way that his colleague, the Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the hon. Member for South Dorset (Jim Knight), had dealt with the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Bill in a constructive and consensual manner, which had improved it. The Minister has followed that path, emulated his colleague and we have a better Bill. I congratulate him on the way he has brought the Bill through Committee and to the House. As I told the Minister’s colleague, when Ministers listen and amend Bills, it is a sign of strength, not of weakness. I congratulate the Minister on proposing a Bill that was good to start with, and is better as a consequence of the amendments that have been made in Committee and on Report. I congratulate the Conservative Front Benchers—the hon. Members for Leominster (Bill Wiggin) and for South-East Cambridgeshire (Mr. Paice)—on their approach to the Bill, as well as Labour Back Benchers on theirs, to pick up the point made by the hon. Member for Stroud (Mr. Drew). Those hon. Members who have served on many Standing Committees are used to seeing massed ranks of statues behind Ministers—the Labour Back Benchers who say nothing and sit there doing their casework for days on end. On this occasion, without exception, the Labour Back Benchers who served on the Committee took part and made some constructive comments. Generally, the Bill was considered more fully and sensibly as a consequence of their efforts as well, and I hope that Labour Back Benchers will take a lesson from that and apply it elsewhere.