Asked by: Lord Hague of Richmond (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of ivory products commercially traded within the UK each year since 2015.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The Government’s consultation on proposals to ban UK sales of ivory asked for evidence on the value, or number, of sales of items containing ivory in the UK. The response was published on the Defra website on 3 April 2018 and is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/banning-uk-sales-of-ivory
Asked by: Lord Hague of Richmond (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect to publish a response to their Non-elephant ivory trade: call for evidence, published on 30 May 2019.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
We published the call for evidence on the non-elephant ivory trade on 30 May 2019. We are currently considering this evidence and the next steps. A summary of the responses will be published in due course. We have no plans at present to publish an updated version of Tables 2 and 3 in the non-elephant ivory trade call for evidence.
Asked by: Lord Hague of Richmond (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to publish an updated version of Tables 2 and 3 of their Non-elephant ivory trade: call for evidence, published on 30 May 2019, setting out data on the import and export of non-elephant ivory products in the UK in 2018.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
We published the call for evidence on the non-elephant ivory trade on 30 May 2019. We are currently considering this evidence and the next steps. A summary of the responses will be published in due course. We have no plans at present to publish an updated version of Tables 2 and 3 in the non-elephant ivory trade call for evidence.
Asked by: Lord Hague of Richmond (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to use the provisions of section 37 of the Ivory Act 2018 to introduce secondary legislation extending the provisions of that Act to the common hippopotamus.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
We published the call for evidence on the non-elephant ivory trade on 30 May 2019. We are currently considering this evidence and the next steps. A summary of the responses will be published in due course. We have no plans at present to publish an updated version of Tables 2 and 3 in the non-elephant ivory trade call for evidence.
Asked by: Lord Hague of Richmond (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they plan to implement the provisions of the Ivory Act 2018.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
We welcome the Court of Appeal’s ruling last month upholding the world-leading Ivory Act against a claim brought by a part of the antiques industry. The Government is committed to bringing the ivory ban into force as soon as practicable.
Asked by: Lord Hague of Richmond (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what engagement they intend to have with (1) non-governmental organisations, and (2) the private sector, during the Illegal Wildlife Trade Conference 2018.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The UK Government is engaging with non-governmental organisations and the private sector in advance of the Illegal Wildlife Trade Conference 2018. Our cross-sector engagement in the build-up to and at the conference will ensure we deliver ambitious goals and effective partnerships for globally coordinated action to combat the illegal wildlife trade.
Asked by: Lord Hague of Richmond (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the issue of the illegal trade in ivory will be discussed at the forthcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in 2018.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The Prime Minister has announced the four themes that the 2018 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting will focus on: prosperity, sustainability, security and fairness. The UK Government is working closely with Member States and the Commonwealth Secretariat to examine options for the summit agenda.
The UK Government recognises the need for robust action to protect elephants, one of the world’s most iconic and treasured species. That is why the Government announced its proposals on 6 October to introduce a total ban on UK sales of ivory that could contribute either directly or indirectly to the continued poaching of elephants, with some carefully defined and narrowly targeted exemptions.
Asked by: Lord Hague of Richmond (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what approach they intend to take in relation to the Hanoi Conference on Illegal Wildlife Trade in November.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The UK has a strong record as a global leader in the fight against the illegal wildlfe trade, and remains committed to working with our international partners to bring an end to this scourge.
We have been leading ambitious international agreements in this area and are supporting Vietnam to host a third high level conference on 17 November which builds on theground-breaking London and Botswana Conferences in 2014 and 2015. Building on this we The Government have provided specific funding for the conference, and is providing ongoing advice and support through the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will attend the Conference, as will HRH Duke of Cambridge.
The Government is working closely with Vietnam to support a successful conference that secures high level attendance that will maintain political momentum. In particular we want to focus on encouraging countries, including Vietnam itself, to take concerted action on the commitments they have already made.
Officials, both in London and Hanoi, have been in regular contact with a range of NGOs concerning preparations for the Conference, and anticipate continuing to do so up to and at the Conference.
We are investing millions in projects around the world to tackle IWT on the ground. We have already committed £13 million to practical action around the world to reduce demand, strengthen enforcement and develop sustainable livelihoods for communities affected by IWT, primarily through Defra’s Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund.
Asked by: Lord Hague of Richmond (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions ministers are having with non-governmental organisations ahead of the Hanoi Conference on Illegal Wildlife Trade in November.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The UK has a strong record as a global leader in the fight against the illegal wildlfe trade, and remains committed to working with our international partners to bring an end to this scourge.
We have been leading ambitious international agreements in this area and are supporting Vietnam to host a third high level conference on 17 November which builds on theground-breaking London and Botswana Conferences in 2014 and 2015. Building on this we The Government have provided specific funding for the conference, and is providing ongoing advice and support through the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will attend the Conference, as will HRH Duke of Cambridge.
The Government is working closely with Vietnam to support a successful conference that secures high level attendance that will maintain political momentum. In particular we want to focus on encouraging countries, including Vietnam itself, to take concerted action on the commitments they have already made.
Officials, both in London and Hanoi, have been in regular contact with a range of NGOs concerning preparations for the Conference, and anticipate continuing to do so up to and at the Conference.
We are investing millions in projects around the world to tackle IWT on the ground. We have already committed £13 million to practical action around the world to reduce demand, strengthen enforcement and develop sustainable livelihoods for communities affected by IWT, primarily through Defra’s Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund.
Asked by: Lord Hague of Richmond (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are proposing to take to implement the text in Convention on International Trade and Endangered Species (CITES) document CoP17 Com. II. 6 (revisions to CITES Conf. 10.10 (Rev. CoP16), calling for the end of any domestic ivory trade "contributing to poaching or illegal trade".
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
We will be working with EU Member States to consider our approach to Resolution 10.10 (Rev Cop16) as amended and any necessary changes to the EU Wildlife Trade Regulations to implement the decisions made at the 17th meeting of the Conference of Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). In doing this, we will also draw upon the Council Conclusions on an EU Action Plan against Wildlife Trafficking agreed in June which ask Member States not to export or re-export raw, old ivory from elephants and to consider further measures to stop the commercial trade in ivory, an outcome the UK actively negotiated to secure.
In addition, prior to the CITES Conference on 21 September 2016, Defra’s Secretary of State announced plans for a ban on sales of items containing ivory dated between 1947 and the present day. The Government will consult on plans for the ban early next year. This is a key step forward as we work towards our manifesto commitment to press for a total ban on ivory sales.