§ MR. ELLIS GRIFFITHI beg to ask the President of the Board of Agriculture whether his attention has been called to the hardship caused by the existing regulations for the transport of dogs from Ireland to Wales; and whether, following the precedent of last year, he will so far relax the restrictions as to allow an owner on production of a veterinary surgeon's certificate to bring his dog from Ireland to Wales.
§ MR. AKERS DOUGLAS (for Mr. LONG)My right hon. friend desires me to say that his attention has been called to the matter to which the hon. Member refers, but he regrets that he does not see his way to relax the existing restrictions in the manner suggested. The arrangement made last year did not work very satisfactorily; very few persons availed themselves of it, and the fact that there is every reason to believe that rabies no longer exists in Great Britain, appears to my right hon. friend to make it more than ever his duty to take every possible precaution against its re-introduction from Ireland, where, unfortunately, cases still occur from time to time.