---

Animal Welfare Bill

If the hon. Member for Cleethorpes (Shona McIsaac) were to force a division on the amendment, there would be a free vote for my colleagues and myself. Speaking for myself, I am not quite sure where she thought she was getting to. Towards the end of her speech, she said that all she was seeking was some indication from the Minister as to what he was going to do. We all got that last week in the newspapers. I made it clear in Committee that I do not particularly like the idea of wild animals in circuses, but I think that the matter is better dealt with by regulation, as it is conceivable—barely, in my view—that it is possible to meet their welfare needs by some means. If a circus cannot meet the necessary codes of practice and regulations laid down by the Government to meet the welfare needs of the animals, so be it; it cannot keep them. If it can, whatever the expense and however grand or palatial the accommodation, that is all right. There is a risk that hon. Members are confusing the issue of the animal’s welfare with the issue of whether or not it is right for an animal to perform for human entertainment. Those are two distinct debates—