Paul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein)
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982. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the consumer protections in place in regard to the purchase of a pet online if the advertisement is not in compliance with the regulations introduced on 1 February 2020. [38539/20]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The safety and welfare of pet animals was one of the main concerns behind the introduction, by my Department, of regulations on the sale and supply of pet animals last year. These regulations came into effect in February of this year.

These Regulations were welcomed by the ISPCA and other welfare organisations, and put into law certain requirements for sellers and suppliers of pet animals, including minimum ages for sale of certain mammals; record-keeping; registration with the Department and provision of certain information about the pet in advertisements.

Consumer protection falls under the remit of the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, which is an independent statutory body for which the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment has oversight.