HL Deb 27 October 2004 vol 665 cc1331-2

(1) One or more individuals may apply to the registrar to be entered in the register in respect of hunting to be carried out jointly by—

  1. (a) the individual registered or one or more of the individuals registered, and
  2. (b) one or more individuals under the supervision of the individual registered or of one or more of the individuals registered.

(2) Each of the applicants must be at least 16 years of age.

(3) An application must—

  1. (a) be in the prescribed form,
  2. (b) contain the prescribed information,
  3. (c) be accompanied by the prescribed documents (if any), and
  4. (d) be accompanied by the prescribed fee.

(4) An application must specify—

  1. (a) the species of wild mammal which it is proposed to hunt, and
  2. (b) the area in which it is proposed to hunt.

(5) An application may specify a condition to be included in the register as a condition of the proposed hunting.

(6) An application must, in particular, include conditions specifying—

  1. (a) a maximum number of individuals who may hunt at any time,
  2. (b) arrangements to ensure compliance with the condition about records imposed by section (Automatic conditions of group registration)(5), and
  3. (c) arrangements for supervision by the individual or individuals to be registered of non-registered individuals participating in the proposed hunting.

(7) An application may request that one or more of the registered individuals should be registered in respect of hunting to be carried out without the participation of a non-registered individual (as well as in respect of the joint hunting mentioned in subsection (1)).

(8) Section (Registered hunting)(1) shall have effect as if the reference to individual registration included a reference to registration by virtue of subsection (7) above (but section (Registered hunting)(3) shall not apply).

(9) In this section "prescribed" means prescribed by regulations made by the Secretary of State."

The noble Lord said: Amendment No. 22 concerns an application on behalf of a group. It sets out the conditions under which group applications may be made to the registrar. Under this provision, one or more individuals may apply to be registered in respect of hunting to be carried out jointly by one or more of them and other non-registered persons under their supervision. An application for group registration must include conditions specifying, among other things, the arrangements for the supervision of non-registered persons to ensure compliance with the conditions of registration.

Subsection (7) allows applicants for a group registration to apply to be registered to hunt in the absence of non-registered persons, and subsection (8) provides that such registration will be regarded as individual registration for the purposes of the clause on registered hunting. While applications for group registration may be made by persons who are members of any type of formal or informal association in respect of organised hunts, it is expected that the applicants for registration would normally be officials of the hunt. I beg to move.

Lord Whitty

Again for the guidance of the Committee, this group of amendments also reflects the original provisions of the Alun Michael Bill. They also include the changes which were made in Committee to these parts of the original Bill.

On Question, amendment agreed to.

Lord Mancroft moved Amendment No. 23:

After Clause 5, insert the following new clause—

Forward to