THE JOINT PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY, MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD (EARL ST. ALDWYN)My Lords, with your Lordships' permission, I should like to rectify something which I said yesterday. During the discussion on the Rabbits (Prohibition of Spreading) Bill, my noble friend Lord Merthyr said that he would be introducing another Bill which would have Government support. At the end of the discussion, the noble Lord, Lord Sherwood, asked me a question. I thought he said, "Are the Government supporting the new Bill?", whereas when I looked at the OFFICIAL REPORT I find that what, in fact, he said was, "My Lords, are the Government introducing a new Bill?" I gave the answer, "That is right, my Lords." Obviously that answer would apply only to what I thought the noble Lord had said, but not, in fact, to what he said.
VISCOUNT ALEXANDER OF HILLS-BOROUGHMy Lords, the position is, therefore, that the Bill will be reintroduced as a Private Member's Bill, but it will have Government support.