Paudie Coffey (Fine Gael)

I use this opportunity to defend my record and put the record straight. Several times on Committee and Report Stages I raised the matter of the standards required to be met by dog breeding establishments. The Minister has suggested the order will not commence until January next year, but this is a recent development. When the Bill was initiated in this House, the amendment dealing with the commencement order was not included. However, all of the requirements of the legislation related to a dog breeding establishment were contained, without a reference to a standard level or benchmark. That is my point. The Minister is not listening to me. He should be aware of the consequences of this from the debates in the Lower House and the public domain. I am making a reasonable request. Why is there no regulation or benchmark of standards required to be met by dog breeding establishments provided for in the Bill? I am not trying to be divisive. I am entitled to ask these questions in the interests of having proper legislation and providing information for all stakeholders. I suggest the Minister is fudging the matter by suggesting a recent amendment addresses the point I am trying to make because it does not.