Chamber and committees

I accept that. On part 2, you are right—it is a suggestion. However, we already have the powers to put a register in place under previous legislation. I agree with you that the wording of part 2 does not mean that a register would have to happen; you just want the ability for it to happen. I hope that I have outlined some concerns that you might want to address when you give evidence and as you take the bill forward.

That depends on the shape or form in which the bill goes through Parliament. There are two parts to it. If it goes through in its current form, there will be a registration system for unlicensed breeders and—

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the committee’s evidence sessions on Christine Grahame’s Welfare of Dogs (Scotland) Bill. As we all know, animal welfare is not only an important issue but an emotive one. The Government takes animal welfare very seriously and is committed to the highest possible welfare standards. We welcome Ms Grahame’s effort in this area and support the general principles of the bill. We need to emphasise to people that they must be responsible owners and act responsibly when deciding to buy a dog or take one into their lives. The bill will help to do that.

The low-welfare puppy trade is unacceptable and is an area that the Scottish Government has been concerned about for many years. We have worked closely with stakeholders such as the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Dogs Trust to improve enforcement and understanding of the welfare problems and the risks to buyers associated with criminal activity behind the trade. That has included marketing campaigns, which were effective at raising awareness of the importance of seeing puppies with their mother before buying. We know that the movement restrictions during the Covid pandemic meant that that was not possible for a significant period and that there was an increased demand for puppies to be kept as family pets. It is therefore appropriate to consider again what more can be done to influence changes in buyers’ behaviour so that they make the right choices when sourcing a pet.

We look forward to hearing stakeholders’ views, as well as those of the committee, and we will consider carefully the committee’s stage 1 report. We have some issues with the framing of some parts of the bill, which we consider might benefit from amendment. We are very happy to discuss that with the committee and Ms Grahame during the bill process, but I hope that we will be able to reach an agreement on those and other matters so that we can arrive at a bill, at stage 3, that everyone can support and that will have a tangible impact on dog welfare.

I would respond to any recommendation that the committee made to me. That is a general professional response. Any recommendation that the committee made, whether it took the form of a letter, a stage 1 report or communication from the convener, would get a response from me.

Convener, if I can—to use the words of Ms Hamilton—be a bit cheeky, I remind the committee that it is Ms Grahame’s bill that is in front of us. Ms Grahame is in the room and wants to see her bill go forward. You are asking me to say, in effect, that we will do everything that Ms Grahame wants to do in her bill anyway without the need for her bill, so I do not think that that is a particularly fair question, although it may be a fair question for you to deliberate in private.

We have set out our support for the general principles of the bill, but we have also outlined areas where the bill could usefully be amended, and I will continue to do so during the session today if asked.

I can see that.

You are asking me to commit to something outwith the confines of the bill. I would rather concentrate on our view on the bill as laid and the amendments that we might want to see.

I do not think that, in general, it is helpful to do that, because it means that there is not the flexibility to adapt to a changing circumstance of any type.

A pet is an animal that someone has in their domestic house, which they asked to be there and which is a member of their extended family, I suppose.

I need to give that some more thought, because I had not really appreciated it.