Commons Bill [HL]

I thank the Minister for bringing forward these government amendments. Obviously they were introduced after our amendments had been tabled. We have no quibble with that and we are grateful for them. The noble Lord, Lord Livsey, has raised an issue that we want to echo. All horses now require a passport, and this requirement gives rise to two problems. The first is how to get over the difficulty if an animal does not have a passport. How is the association to catch it, corral it, advertise and sell it? Secondly, and more important, is a point that the noble Lord, Lord Livsey, did not touch on. If a horse needs veterinary treatment, technically a veterinarian cannot administer such treatment because the animal does not have a passport. Perhaps the Minister will respond to the points made by the noble Lord, Lord Livsey and myself. The two major issues here are that at the moment, commoners can handle horses and ponies on commons because the requirement for passports was not in force, but now that it is, certain points arise. I understand that commoners are allowed to defray the costs of corralling animals and so forth, but who is to bear the cost of veterinary treatment if there is no passport? Is it to be the responsibility of the commons association? This is a point to which the Government may need to give further consideration.