Horses - Government Responsibilities
The
Horse Industry
The horse industry's gross output is worth approximately £4 billion per year, and attracts around 4.3 million riders, and directly or indirectly employs up to a quarter of a million people. It plays an important part in the national and especially rural economies, the social fabric of rural communities, and environmental and land management.
The industry is highly diverse. It includes large-scale commercial activities such as racing and sport horses, the leisure and recreational use of horses, and ancillary activities like farriery, equine medicine, tack and feed supply.
Ministerial responsibilities
Jonathan Shaw is the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Marine, Landscape and Rural Affairs, which includes responsibility for horse issues and the title 'Minister for the Horse Industry'.
Mr Shaw is a Parliamentary Under-Secretary in Defra, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
The Defra Minister responsible for animal health and welfare is Lord Rooker, with Jonathan Shaw dealing with these issues in the House of Commons.
The Minister for Sport, Gerry Sutcliffe MP, is responsible for policy on equine sport, racing and the Tote. He is based in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
Other Ministers' and Government Departments' responsibilities also affect the horse industry. For example, the Department for Communities and Local Government (previously ODPM) handles land use planning policy, the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform DBERR (previously DTI)". promotes competitiveness, HM Treasury is responsible for financial and economic policy, and skills and learning fall to the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) - previously DfES.
Ministers in the Scottish Executive, the National Assembly for Wales and the Northern Ireland Office / Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture and Rural Development are responsible for equine matters in their countries.
Other public bodies
Other public bodies which relate to the horse industry include Natural England, local authorities (for example through their planning functions), the business support service Business Link, and UK Sport. For more public sector links click here.
Page last modified:
24 April, 2008
Page published: 11 November, 2003