Harvey’s Law
Debate between Derek Twigg and Lord Austin of Dudley(9 years, 9 months ago)
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Derek Twigg
As usual, my hon. Friend makes an important point. There is a cost to the owners of the pets, but the cost to the public purse can be also be substantial, because it takes time to contact the individuals and chase them up. That is not a good use of public time. If the law we are debating today were introduced, the situation would be much better.
Harvey’s case was tragic, and I want to give a few more examples, because the tragedy can be unbelievable for some families.
Ian Austin (Dudley North) (Lab)
My hon. Friend rightly paid tribute to his constituent, who raised this issue with him. Will he commend the efforts of my constituent, Teresa Hughes, who has worked hard on this campaign and brought it not only to my attention but to the attention of many other people? She has raised the issue in the local media and ensured that it has had a much higher profile in Dudley, the black country and the west midlands.
Derek Twigg
I absolutely will. It has been a team effort, and many of the people concerned are here today listening to the debate. Their energy and drive brought us to where we are today. My hon. Friend makes a very important point.