Wild Animals (Circuses) Debate

Full Debate: Read Full Debate
Department: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Lord Spellar

Main Page: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)

Department Debates - View all Lord Spellar's debates with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs


Oral Answers to Questions

Wild Animals (Circuses)

Lord Spellar Excerpts

Business of the House
Thursday 19th May 2011

(13 years, 7 months ago)

Commons Chamber
Share Debate
Read Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts

Urgent Questions are proposed each morning by backbench MPs, and up to two may be selected each day by the Speaker. Chosen Urgent Questions are announced 30 minutes before Parliament sits each day.

Each Urgent Question requires a Government Minister to give a response on the debate topic.

This information is provided by Parallel Parliament and does not comprise part of the offical record

James Paice Portrait Mr Paice
- Hansard -
- - Excerpts

The latest estimate is that there are 39 such animals. Following the recent press exposure, there are now no elephants in our circuses. The last one, Nelly, who we saw being very badly treated, is now in a home.

Lord Spellar Portrait Mr John Spellar (Warley) (Lab)
- Hansard -
-

Last Thursday, the Minister clearly stated to the House:

“There have been recent press reports that the Austrian Government have been taken to court for their attempt to ban wild animals in circuses, so our Government can hardly recommend something that might not be legal.”—[Official Report, 12 May 2011; Vol. 527, c. 1344.]

There are only two possibilities: either the official gave him wrong advice, which I regret to say is not uncommon and in which case the official should go, or the Minister made the wrong judgment even though he had the facts, in which case the Minister should go. Which is it?

Return to start of debate - Return to top of page