§ MR. BUTCHER (York)To ask the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, in view of the large numbers of worn-out horses, under £5 in value, which are shipped from this country to Holland, Belgium, and Germany, His Majesty's Government will cause inquiries to be made of His Majesty's Consuls as to whether these horses, although in a state in which the law of this country would not permit of their being worked, are worked on arrival abroad; and whether, if such inquiries should show that this is being done, His Majesty's Government will consider the desirability of introducing legislation on the subject.
(Answered by Earl Percy.) If the hon. Member will place me in possession of any information he may have received on the subject, the Board of Agriculture will be consulted as to whether any steps can be taken by legislation or otherwise. It would be difficult to base any general conclusions on the results of an inquiry of the kind suggested in the Question.