HC Deb 30 July 1975 vol 896 cc529-30W
Mr. Farr

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if, in view of the fact that it can cost as much as £200 to keep a dog in quarantine for six months, he will increase the minimum penalty for smuggling an animal into the country to £1,000 or a term of imprisonment.

Mr. Strang

I think it better, and more in accord with our established penal practice, that the courts exercise discretion according to the circumstances of the case and within such maximum limits as have been determined by Parliament.