The full Commons statement made by rural affairs minister Alun Michael.

"Madame Deputy Speaker, our manifesto gave a commitment on hunting with hounds. We said:

We will give the new House of Commons an early opportunity to express its view. We will then enable Parliament to reach a conclusion on this issue."

I have been given the responsibility of leading that enabling process.

In reaching my decision on how to proceed, I have listened carefully to what has been said in the debates.

The votes this week leave the two houses diametrically opposed. Indeed I have rarely seen an issue where greater divisions exist. It is precisely for that reason it is right to see how it can be resolved with as much agreement as possible.

We want to respect all views but that has to start with respect for the strength with which the Commons made its views clear on Monday.

I promise to engage with everyone who has an interest in this issue in order to make the legislation practical and robust.

I promise to bring to the House of Commons a Bill that will deal with this issue effectively once and for all and make good law; and I earnestly hope that we can do so on the basis of as much common ground as possible.

I propose a process of consultation on the practical issues of detail with a wide variety of interested parties. This period will last no more than six months, including work on drafting a new Bill.

But we promised in the manifesto that it will be resolved.

Should there be no way through and should the new Bill be frustrated in its passage rather than scrutinised and improved, the Government could not properly stand in the way of the application of the Parliament Act, which again of course would be a matter for this House.

So the Government would prefer for the Bill to proceed by debate and a search for common ground wherever possible, with conflict tempered by tolerance.

If that process is frustrated and the Bill rejected, we would reintroduce the Bill as quickly as possible to this House. It will then be for this House and its procedures - and indeed for Mr Speaker - to determine whether the Parliament Act applies.

However the reason for re-engaging with a process to try to achieve wider agreement is precisely because we recognise that there are legitimate concerns in the countryside about pest control, about land management and about other practicalities and we want to address these issues in the bill. These concerns were raised both in this House and in another place.

Let me also reiterate our manifesto commitment that: "We have no intention whatsoever of placing restrictions on the sports of angling and shooting."

And I also want to stress to everyone in the countryside that hunting is at the margins of the real debate about the priorities that we set out in the Rural White Paper. Those of ensuring that people in the countryside get access to good public services, proper investment, sound environmental policies and sustainable development.

On the content of the Bill itself, I believe that some common ground can be achieved best by focusing on two general principles.

The report by Lord Burns on hunting with dogs examined in great detail the principles of cruelty and utility. We propose to frame legislation that prohibits activity based on these two principles rather than simply setting out a list of activities to be banned.

But the Burns report did not provide a route map. That is why further thought needs to be given in applying these principles and that is what I shall be looking at over the next few weeks.

I am sure the House will have noted the very clear assurances I have given today about timing and outcome, as well as engagement which will involve those campaigning for a ban on hunting, and members of this house, as well as those involved in land management.

Inevitably, I recognise that this is a difficult issue, especially as we all know there are pressing issues of legislation that also demands our attention on crime, health and education. We must deliver on our central promises to deliver reform and investment in our public services.

Madame Deputy Speaker I ask the House to trust me to deliver and to join me in a process which is guaranteed to achieve an outcome as soon as possible. I look forward to engaging with colleagues on all sides of this House and in another place.

The process I am setting out today will ensure that we deliver on our manifesto commitment to resolve this issue during the lifetime of this Parliament".