Lords outfox Commons

2003-10-22 11:18

London - The House of Lords on Tuesday reversed a complete ban on fox hunting in legislation approved by the House of Commons, and sent it back to the Commons for another vote.

The amendment, allowing limited, regulated hunting to continue, was passed by 261 votes to 49, setting the Lords on collision course with the Commons once again in the long-fought battle over hunting with dogs.

The sport, in which hunters on horseback follow packs of dogs in pursuit of foxes arouses strong feelings around the country.

Opponents call it cruel and unnecessary, and supporters call it a valued country tradition that provides needed jobs.

In order to become law, the bill must ordinarily be approved by the Lords, parliament's unelected upper chamber, which can amend and delay legislation.

If the Commons votes again for a total ban, Prime Minister Tony Blair's government will have to decide whether to sidestep the Lords and force a ban on to the statute books by invoking rarely used legislation known as the Parliament Act.

The Hunting Bill, the government's attempt at a compromise, originally would have allowed hunting to continue under strict regulations.

But, in July, the House of Commons amended the bill and voted for a total ban.

Now the peers are trying to put the bill back to its original state.

'Fair and workable registration system'

Baroness Mallalieu, a senior peer from the governing Labour Party and president of the pro-hunting Countryside Alliance, said the bill as originally drafted was sensible and could have been made fair to all sides.

She said the government legislation had been "wrecked" by legislators in the Commons.

Her intention now was "to restore the bill to a fair and workable registration system as envisaged by the government and as promised by them".

No date has been set for the Commons to take the bill up again, but it is likely to be in the next few weeks.

Blair's government came to power in 1997, pledging to give lawmakers a free vote on the sport.

In the past six years, attempts to ban or regulate fox hunting have failed, either due to a lack of space on the crammed parliamentary timetable, or because peers have blocked legislation.

- AP