Animal Welfare Bill

On grounds of accountability and democracy, I encourage the hon. Lady to make her comments in public in future—obviously, we could then all hear what was being said and we might even agree with it. The example set by the Bill is one that should be followed in future. It is a good Bill. It is not perfect, of course. There are issues with which we disagree—it would be extraordinary if we did not—and I hope that some of the issues to which the hon. Member for Stroud referred will be dealt with under secondary legislation. I understand the comments about Christmas trees, but we have taken on trust the Minister’s assurance that measures will be introduced on a range of issues that people feel very strongly about—whether electric shock collars, greyhounds or the other issues that hon. Members have raised in the Chamber today and in Committee—and we want the Minister to deliver those assurances under secondary legislation and look forward to that happening. I draw to the Minister’s attention to the fact that, under clause 63, there is a commitment to do nothing very much at all in implementing the Bill. We only have his word about that—I am happy to take his word, of course—but we want further action to ensure that this enabling Bill, which we will shortly pass on to the other place, is acted on using statutory instruments in due course. Of course, I am particularly pleased about clause 8, which introduces the RSPCA’s five freedoms and is the cornerstone of the Bill in many ways. It is very important indeed and will go a long way to ensure that some of the awful examples of cruelty, which the RSPCA and others have drawn to hon. Members’ attention over many years, will be curtailed and can be properly prosecuted by the appropriate authorities when they are detected, often earlier than has been hitherto possible. This is the first Animal Welfare Bill for 95 years. Of course, the Protection of Animals Act 1911 was introduced by a Liberal Government. Obviously, animals have had to wait for another Liberal Government, which has not happened since those days, unfortunately—so we have had to rely instead on a Labour Government to introduce another Bill to update that very important 1911 Act. I am pleased that the Government have done so. Animals will be better protected as a consequence of the Bill. I am also pleased that it has been possible to do so in a spirit of consensus and co-operation across all parties—something of which we can be proud. Lastly, I thank the Minister for his kind comments and assure him that it is my intention that my departure from the Front Bench will be temporary.