Lords reject curbs on hunting
27 March 2001
Lords reject curbs on hunting
By FWi staff
THE House of Lords has rejected a ban on hunting with dogs and a compromise deal which would allow hunting by licensing.
In voting against all curbs on hunting peers have set themselves on a collision course with the House of Commons which overwhelmingly backed a complete ban.
The Lords rejected an outright ban by 317 votes to 68, and turned down the middle way licensing option by 202 to 122.
Instead they voted by 249 votes to 108 for self-regulation for hunting, which would mean no change in the law.
With an election expected in May, the Lords may not even have time to complete deliberations of the Hunting Bill, reports The Times.
Whatever it decides will almost certainly be overturned by the Commons.
And whether an election takes place or not, MPs can force through the Bill by invoking the Parliament Act later in the year.
The shadow of the foot-and-mouth crisis hung over the vote, with Conservative Lord Ferrers saying it was a “grotesque moment to be discuss ending hunting.
“When the countryside is in disaster and peoples livelihoods are gone, for people in parliament to be discussing a hunting ban is terrible,” he said.