It is a pleasure to have you in the Chair, Mr Mundell, and I want to thank hon. Friends and Members. There is only a small crowd in the Chamber, but we have had some quite feisty views and some friendly but opposing views. I thank those involved from the Petitions Committee as well. Today's debate relates to two petitions that have been signed by enough people to secure a debate. The issue is obviously an important one for us to discuss. I will start with the Hunting Act 2004. The Act makes it an offence to hunt a wild animal with dogs, except when it is carried out in accordance with the exemptions in the Act, and it completely bans hare coursing. The penalty for illegal hunting is an unlimited fine, and the Government take all wildlife crime extremely seriously. Enforcement of the Hunting Act is an operational matter for the police. Between 2005 and 2019, 887 individuals were prosecuted under the Act, of whom 514 individuals were found guilty, so, in its present form, the Act is fit for purpose and is being enforced. Trail hunting is a legal recreational activity following a pre-laid trail. The data that we have received suggests that it is being carried out in the right way; where it is not, it obviously needs to be cracked down on. Issuing a licence or giving permission for trail hunting is an operational matter for the landowner; DEFRA does not play a role. The first petition relates to the Forestry Commission in England. Trail hunting in the nation's forests was suspended by Forestry England following a police investigation leading to the conviction of a former director of the Masters of Foxhounds Association. It remains suspended until the Forestry England board takes a decision on its future, which is for that board to do. I want to touch on the comments made by my hon. Friend the Member for North Herefordshire, who spoke as a true countryman with great experience and knowledge. He does not himself hunt—nor do I—but his expertise in rural affairs is very important when we are talking about these issues. The Government are committed to the highest standards of animal welfare, and clearly many people in this country support the direction we are taking on animal welfare. We published our action plan for animal welfare in May 2021, which lays out the breadth of animal and conservation reforms that the Government are taking forward to ensure high standards of welfare for all animals. The passing of the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act 2021 delivered on the Government's manifesto commitment to introduce tougher penalties for animal cruelty. The Act's new maximum sentence of five years' imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine will apply to animal cruelty offences, including causing unnecessary suffering, and is a significant step forward in improving animal welfare. The hon. Lady makes a valid point about the recent appeal being refused. Judge Simon Carr said that it was quite sure these dogs were dangerously out of control and the appeal against conviction was refused, which is very strong and rightly so. We will not change our mind about amending the Hunting Act as we now have a manifesto commitment not to do so. Forestry England has responded to breaches of its trail hunting permissions, and all trail hunting on its land is currently suspended. It is an operational matter for Forestry England to decide how it wants to proceed. Protection for members of the public and their companion animals is already covered by several appropriate pieces of legislation, including the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 and the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.