Animal Welfare Bill

I thank the noble Baroness for bringing this amendment before us today. It was debated at great length in another place and we seek further clarification on it. First, when the Minister responds, can he tell us whether certain international restrictions are already in being with regard to internet sales? I do not know what happens abroad and whether people make use of the facility in different countries. Secondly, as the noble Baroness has told us this afternoon, the Government intend to introduce a statutory code. Will such a code cover sites that facilitate trade by selling information and not just sites that sell animals directly? Obviously there is a difference between passing information over the internet, which is possible and might well be a good thing, and just selling on the internet. That is not clear in the amendment. I understand that the codes of practice under Clause 14 are not legally binding, and that is why the new clause seeks to address the internet trade through regulations rather than a code of practice. I also understand that, according to Annex B of the regulatory impact assessment, the Government are intending to introduce a regulation to license pet shops, including internet pet shops, in 2007. However, Annex B makes no mention of the code of conduct which the Minister, the noble Lord, Lord Bach, mentioned at Second Reading. Following on from that, do the Government intend to introduce a statutory code of conduct on internet sales, and will such codes apply to sites that act as the middle man and manage the sales as opposed to those selling directly?