Animal Welfare Bill

moved Amendment No. 15:"Page 3, line 17, leave out subsection (3)." The noble Duke said: The section on mutilation is moderately confusing, and this is a probing amendment to find out more about how the Government see things. The section starts out with a reference to ““a protected animal””, then it moves on to ““such an animal””, and then, in subsection (2)(a), refers to ““an animal””. From all this the inference may be drawn that if a person himself carries out a prohibited procedure on an animal that is not protected, he will not commit an offence. A letter was kindly sent to us by the Minister after Second Reading on 27 April, before the noble Lord was actually in his post. It stated that in time for Committee proceedings we would have circulated to us a draft containing the mutilations exemption regulations. I am afraid that has not—