§ Major Beamishasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware that when prosecutions are brought against individuals for shooting game birds out of season the excuse is frequently made that the dates of the close season were not known; by what methods the close season dates are made as widely known as possible; and whether he will consider printing all the close season dates on the backs of game and gun licences.
§ Mr. R. A. ButlerThe close seasons for game birds have remained unaltered for a great many years. As to sporting birds, such as certain wild duck and wild geese, the close seasons for which were fixed by the Protection of Birds Act, 1954, copies of a poster summarising the main provisions of the Act, including the close seasons, have recently been sent to chief constables, county councils and county borough councils for local display. The backs of the latest issues of gun and game licences have already been taken up by advice on clean killing which was inserted at the suggestion of the British Field Sports Society.