§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many(a) submissions the Minister for Rural Affairs has received and (b) meetings he has attended with outside organisations concerning the current consultation on hunting with dogs. [57257]
§ Alun MichaelFollowing my statement to the House on 21 March, in which I announced a process of consultation on the practical issues of detail with a wide variety of interested parties, I then wrote to every member of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. At644W the same time, I also wrote to a wide range of interested organisation and members of the public. I have received over 7,000 letters and submissions in response.
Since my statement to the House on the 21 March, I have met the Countryside Alliance and its Campaign for Hunting; the Campaign for the Protection of Hunted Animals, comprising the RSPCA, the League Against Cruel Sports and the International Fund for Animal Welfare; and the Middle Way Group. I have promised to continue to engage with all three of these main groups. I have also met the Independent Supervisory Authority for Hunting, the National Coursing Club and Protect our Wild Animals. I plan to hold meetings with various other organisations, including further meetings with the three main interest groups, over the coming weeks. In addition to these meetings, I have met delegations from the Countryside Alliance on a variety of occasions at various locations around the country, including the North of England, the East Midlands, the South West, Yorkshire and North Wales.
Many of those responding to my letter of 10 April simply expressed strongly held and passionate views either for or against hunting with dogs. Others addressed the principles on which the legislation will be based—the principles of cruelty and utility—and included some very interesting comments from organisations and individuals with relevant experience. I shall continue to engage on the issues with the main representative groups and with other organisations with a particular interest in hunting with dogs.
While the volume of responses has put pressure on the team within DEFRA, the work of analysing the responses is almost complete. I shall write again shortly to all MPs, Peers, Assembly Members and a wide range of interested organisations, providing a further opportunity to submit facts and evidence on what have emerged as the specific topics and key issues that need to be addressed on how the principles which will underpin the legislation should be applied to practical situations.