§ 1. Sir T. Mooreasked the Minister of Power if he will make a statement in regard to the existing Regulations governing the employment of horses and ponies in mines, including the limitation of the number of years a horse or pony shall be kept and employed below ground for any purpose; and what plans he has for improving them.
§ Mr. GeorgeThe care and treatment of horses at mines are governed by the Coal and Other Mines (Horses) Regulations, 1956, made under Section 141 of the Mines and Quarries Act, 1954. The Regulations do not specifically limit the number of years a horse may be employed below ground but they prohibit the working of horses which are unfit or show any symptoms of overwork. My right hon. Friend has no evidence that the regulations stand in need of amendment.