The Government has withdrawn its regulations on the tail docking of dogs after the House of Lords forced  its hand.
 As the proposed law was opposed, the Government will now have to
 reconsider the exceptions to the ban on tail docking.
  In Grand Committee of the House of Lords yesterday, the Countess of Mar
 raised an objection to both the policy and the drafting of the
 regulations, saying: "For any law to be effective, it must be clear,
 reasonable and enforceable".
 Consensus is required in Grand Committee of the House of Lords, so
 parliamentary procedure dictated the response by Lord Rooker, Animal
 Welfare Minister, who then withdrew the Government's Statutory
 Instrument on tail docking.
 Lord Rooker said: "Having considered the matter, we will come back at a
 later date, obviously not in Grand Committee. This will have to go to
 the floor of the House."
 The ban is due to come into force at the
 end of March in Wales and on 6 April in England, as part of the Animal
 Welfare Act. It allows an exemption for working dogs (in accordance with
 regulations made by Parliament and the National Assembly of Wales).