THE GRAND NATIONAL STEEPLECHASE (Hansard, 9 July 1959)

§ LORD AMMON
My Lords, I beg leave to ask the first Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

§ LORD CHESHAM
My Lords, my right honourable friend the Home Secretary has had conversations with the Stewards of the National Hunt Committee, and also with the owner of the Aintree Course and with representatives of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and of other bodies interested in animal welfare. He is much indebted to all these people for the information and help that they have given him.
The House will realise that in this matter Her Majesty's Government have no direct responsibility. The responsibility rests with the Stewards and owner of the course and, more broadly, with the Stewards of the National Hunt Committee. The Home Secretary's conversations with them have been most helpful, and they have listened patiently to all the representations and suggestions that have been put forward through him. He has accepted an invitation to visit the course and see the next Grand National race, so that he can form his own impressions at first hand.
The Stewards are properly determined to maintain the traditional character of 940 the race. They consider that the course is tough but fair, and that the history of the race shows that this is so. As regards conditions of entry, the course authorities have been good enough to take note of the various suggestions that have been made, and have given my right honourable friend the assurance that they have the qualifications continually under review. He is satisfied that they will seek so to control the entry and its extent to be sure that the horses are fit and suitable to run.

§ LORD AMMON
So we may take it that the intervention of the Government amounts to the fact that they are going to give their blessing to the continuance of things as they are.

§ LORD CHESHAM
My Lords, I think the noble Lord must interpret the statement that I have made in any way he wishes. I must stress once again that this matter is not the direct responsibility of the Government. I would stress also that my right honourable friend has gone far beyond his responsibility in endeavouring to see that the representations that have been made to him—and I think the noble Lord, who helped to make them, will agree that he listened patiently and sympathetically to what was said—were fully put to the course authorities.

§ LORD AMMON
My Lords, cannot the noble Lord see that, while I admit and appreciate all the work the Home Secretary has put into this matter, what it amounts to is that if an administrative authority appointed by the Government does not carry out its work, then there is no power to enforce it?

§ EARL HOWE
My Lords, before the noble Lord replies to that point, may I submit to him that this is not the first occasion on which this race has been run? It has been run for many years, and neither the Home Secretary nor any of his predecessors has thought to intervene. May we not take it that the Answer which the noble Lord has given to us is, on the whole, the best we should hope for?

§ LORD AMMON
Surely that is not true. This matter has been raised in the House before, and it was then shown that of over 30 horses which ran, only 2 finished, and others were injured.

§ LORD CHESHAM
My Lords, I do not think it can be expected that the Government can take any action further than I have indicated. It will be for the noble Lord to see in due course what effect the representations made have, and whether there is any change or not. I think that that is as far as I can take the matter.