A novel use of parliamentary time ..

Roger Godsiff, Labour MP for Birmingham Hall Green, this week asked a question in Parliament that may well have baffled his inner-city constituents:

"To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take steps to prohibit the sale of badges which promote illegal activity by mounted groups of hunters hunting foxes with dogs; and if she will make an assessment of the prevalence of this activity by (a) the Countryside Alliance and (b) other groups."
 
Defra Minister George Eustice MP made a robust response to this question:

"The Government is not aware of the sale of any badges promoting illegal activity. If the hon. Member is referring to badges marking the tenth anniversary of the Hunting Act coming into force, it is quite within the rights of organisations such as the Countryside Alliance to promote an activity that can be carried out legally in accordance with the exemptions set out in the Act, and is of economic and social importance to many of our most rural communities."

A  Countryside Alliance spokesman commented that

"While an extraordinary waste of Parliamentary time, Mr Godsiff's question has served to boost sales of our badge, for which we are very grateful."

Quite.

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