§ Mr. SwireTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with the police over the implementation of a possible ban on hunting with dogs. [125139]
§ Alun MichaelDuring the period of consultation announced in my statement to the House of Commons on 21 March 2001 and subsequently during the preparation of the proposals set out in the Hunting Bill I discussed the issues with the Association of Chief Police Officers, the Superintendents Association and the Police Federation. I also discussed my proposals with a number of individual senior police officers. Immediately after the discussions of the House on 30 June I had a further discussion with Mr. Alistair McWhirter who is rural policy spokesman for the Association of Chief Police Officers and I spoke to him again when it became clear that his views and those of ACPO had been misrepresented in some Press and Media reports.
During the debate on 9 July, Official Report, column 1281, I spelt out for the House the legislative and policing implications of the amendments to the Bill in terms that had been agreed with Mr. McWhirter and the ACPO as well as the Chief Inspector of Constabulary and Ministerial Colleagues at the Home Office.