8. Will the Minister make a statement on Welsh Government regulations to outlaw third-party puppy sales, otherwise known as Lucy's law? OQ56407

The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (Wales) Regulations 2021 will be debated on 23 March. I will not be making a statement prior to the debate.

I'm grateful to the Minister for that, and I think many of us in this Chamber will welcome seeing this on the order paper, albeit in our last week of this Senedd. In terms of taking forward the agenda that Lucy's law symbolises, there needs to be a holistic approach to policy, and we need to certainly put in place the regulations that are on the order paper, but we also need to ensure that we take a more comprehensive approach to not only banning the third-party sale of puppies and kittens, but also that we ensure that there are far better and far higher welfare standards for those animals. I would be grateful if the Minister could outline how she sees a comprehensive approach building on the basis of Lucy's law, which would include, but not be limited to, public information, new regulations in planning law to ensure that breeders are licensed, that include rescue and rehoming centres, and to ensure that there is a regulation of sanctuaries as well, where there is considerable public concern about some of the conditions in which animals are kept.

I mentioned in my earlier answer to Mike Hedges that the regulations we'll be bringing forward in two weeks' time go beyond Lucy's law. I am really desperately trying to get away from that phrase, because we've done a huge amount of work with the local authorities. We've had the local authority dog enforcement project, which was a three-year Welsh Government-funded project covering all local authorities in Wales, which began last year, and that will be the vehicle where we take forward these regulations, because I thought it was really important—. Because when we started looking—. When Lucy's law was first mentioned to me, probably about three years ago, it was really important to use the powers that we already had, because I think, when we looked, local authorities weren't using the powers that they already had. So, rather than rush to bring forward regulations, it was really important to look at what barriers were there that had been barriers to enforcement, if you like, that local authorities weren't using. They required enhanced training, and we provided that. They needed better guidance, and we provided that, and we needed to improve the use of resources within local authorities. Unfortunately, with reduced budgets to local authorities, sometimes it was this part of their portfolio that didn't have the attention it had, so I think it's really important. How I see it playing out over the next three years is that we work with local authorities to ensure they have the tools that are needed.

I think the point you raise around sanctuaries is really important, and I would have liked to have done further work in relation to sanctuaries in this term of Government. But, as I said, the capacity, unfortunately, hasn't been there to do everything and all the work streams and strands of work I would have liked to have done, but I do think that is something that a future Government, certainly if I was part of it or the Labour Party, would want to look at.

Question 9 [OQ56404] has been withdrawn. Question 10, Siân Gwenllian.