Animals Act 1971 (Amendment) Bill

My hon. Friend has given a very emotive example. Of course no hon. Member wants that to happen to a constituent or to any citizen of this country, but we must exercise moderation in applying the law. Do we really think that there should be liability in every one of the circumstances which I have described and which have been described by other hon. Members? I do not think that, and I do not believe that the British public would either. I think that they would say that common sense should apply. I gave the example of a horse in a field, but many other examples could be given. If such cases occur, of course it is tragic for the individual and his or her family, but we have welfare services to support people in those circumstances. We cannot have insurance to cover every walk of life. People are concerned about how litigious our country is becoming. I think that if we were to have a wider debate and wider legislation, and adopt the sort of insurance scheme and liability laws that have been suggested, that would not chime with what the British public want. They want common sense and fairness to apply. What we are doing here is clarifying the law. A private Member's Bill such as this should not open the book on the wider issues of liability.