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My question is also about something that you will be familiar with and that we wrestle with regarding legislation in general. How much should a code of conduct be part of the bill and how much should be left to secondary legislation or for action by ministers? Did you consider that balance, and how did you decide what should appear in the bill?

You said that you cannot have a list of questions that is 40 pages long. I appreciate that, but did you consider other things and decide not to put them in that list? I am sure that you considered the issue of microchipping.

I take it that we are still in the realms of question 11. I did not want to give anything away by giving it a number.

What is your view on concerns raised by the minister that a registration scheme could provide false assurance to potential buyers? Do you refute that view, or do you share it?

I want to look briefly at the history of the bill.

I am sure that you were, Ms Grahame.

In a previous version of the bill, it was a requirement that there would be a registration scheme. Under the current version, it will be at the discretion of ministers. Will you explain the consideration that went into that? Are the powers in the bill necessary?

Legitimate though that question is, I cannot see how the minister can be responsible for an email going into someone else’s spam folder.

Good morning, Ms Grahame. Will you say a wee bit about why you chose to put the code of practice in the bill rather than use some other mechanism, such as giving ministers the power to regulate in the area?

I will be brief, convener. Ms Grahame, you spoke earlier about common sense, and we have all heard a fair bit about how it should apply but often does not. The minister and some stakeholders have suggested that public awareness of existing practices might be low. What is there in the bill that could improve public awareness of what is expected of people when they buy a puppy?

I share the convener’s disappointment that some of the supermarkets have chosen to not turn up. That is not something that I can hold the witnesses responsible for, and I will not.

The figures that I have show that 60 per cent of the market for the food that is being sold in the UK—rather than just Scotland—is in the hands of five retailers. However, in many towns across Scotland, you could replace that number with two or three retailers. Can such a situation go on forever without people asking whether it is entirely healthy?