Asked by: Lord Selkirk of Douglas (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to introduce legislation to ban the import of hunting trophies, including animal heads and carcasses.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The Government takes the conservation of endangered species seriously and committed to banning the import of hunting trophies from endangered species in our manifesto. A consultation on controls on the import and export of hunting trophies to and from the UK was undertaken between 2 November 2019 and 25 February 2020. The outcome of the consultation, and the accompanying call for evidence will inform our next steps. We are continuing to work on this important area and will publish the Government response as soon as it is practical to do so.
The UK is Party to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which regulates international trade in endangered species and aims to ensure it does not threaten their survival. Under these internationally agreed rules, imports of hunting trophies into the UK from species listed under CITES, including elephants, hippopotamuses, lions and cheetahs are subject to strict controls.
Hunting trophies are currently allowed to be imported into the UK where they meet current criteria and demonstrate the import will have no detrimental impact on the conservation status or survival of these species, that the specimens have been obtained from a legal and sustainable hunting operation and in accordance with the legislation on the protection of the species concerned. There are however import suspensions relating to certain species coming from particular countries where the hunting of those species is not considered sustainable. These are kept under review.
Asked by: Lord Selkirk of Douglas (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, under current regulations, trophy hunters were able to bring body parts from threatened and vulnerable species such as elephants, hippopotamuses, lions and cheetahs into the UK over the last 10 years.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The Government takes the conservation of endangered species seriously and committed to banning the import of hunting trophies from endangered species in our manifesto. A consultation on controls on the import and export of hunting trophies to and from the UK was undertaken between 2 November 2019 and 25 February 2020. The outcome of the consultation, and the accompanying call for evidence will inform our next steps. We are continuing to work on this important area and will publish the Government response as soon as it is practical to do so.
The UK is Party to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which regulates international trade in endangered species and aims to ensure it does not threaten their survival. Under these internationally agreed rules, imports of hunting trophies into the UK from species listed under CITES, including elephants, hippopotamuses, lions and cheetahs are subject to strict controls.
Hunting trophies are currently allowed to be imported into the UK where they meet current criteria and demonstrate the import will have no detrimental impact on the conservation status or survival of these species, that the specimens have been obtained from a legal and sustainable hunting operation and in accordance with the legislation on the protection of the species concerned. There are however import suspensions relating to certain species coming from particular countries where the hunting of those species is not considered sustainable. These are kept under review.
Asked by: Lord Selkirk of Douglas (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to outlaw pavement parking throughout England; and whether the responses to their consultation on such parking have been in favour of its ban.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government intends to carry out a public consultation later in the year, on possible solutions to the complex pavement parking problem. The consultation will fill evidence gaps, seek views on specific options that were raised by the Transport Select Committee and call for alternative ideas. Ministers will take decisions on next steps in the light of the consultation responses.
Asked by: Lord Selkirk of Douglas (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to (1) undertake, or (2) take part in, an international inquiry into the origins of COVID-19 and its global spread.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The World Health Organization (WHO) has an important role to play in leading the global health response. We want to see the WHO continue to learn lessons on how to improve its response to global health emergencies and as such would expect a full review of all elements of their response to COVID-19 to take place once they are out of response mode, as has occurred after previous Public Health Emergencies of International Concern. The United Kingdom intends to engage constructively with a future review.
Asked by: Lord Selkirk of Douglas (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to address pavement parking.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government has responded to the Transport Select Committee’s 2019 Pavement Parking Inquiry, setting out our intention to carry out a public consultation on possible solutions to the complex pavement parking problem. The options include allowing local authorities with civil enforcement powers to enforce against unnecessary obstruction of the pavement, and introducing a London-style pavement parking prohibition across England.
Asked by: Lord Selkirk of Douglas (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to discuss with the International Rescue Corps what support that organisation could offer during future floods.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
Defra holds the Flood Rescue National Asset Register. This is a list of teams or assets that voluntarily join the register and maintain availability for national deployment during response to flooding. These assets include teams from the Fire and Rescue Service as well as the voluntary sector. Prior to joining the register, the capability of each team will have been assessed.
Details of how a team can join the National Register are laid out in the 2019 Flood Rescue Concept of Operations (FRCO) and my officials are available to discuss the joining requirements with the International Rescue Corps.
Asked by: Lord Selkirk of Douglas (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ban the importation of big-game trophies to the UK; and if they have any such plans, when they intend to publish their proposals to implement such a ban.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The Government takes the conservation of endangered species seriously, with imports of hunting trophies into the UK subject to strict controls under the EU Wildlife Trade Regulations.
The UK has adopted stricter national measures for three species, including tigers, than those set out in CITES and in European legislation. The import and export of live wild taken specimens and tiger parts and derivatives, including hunting trophies, is banned.
The UK is also continuing to work hard on the international stage to agree tough, transparent, global standards on trophy hunting to make sure hunting safeguards are of the highest standard and there is no impact on the sustainability of the species concerned. We will continue to discuss this with other countries.
The Government hosted a stakeholder roundtable in May to hear views from all sides of the debate surrounding trophy hunting. Those discussions continue and we are actively reviewing our position on this important issue.
Asked by: Lord Selkirk of Douglas (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to ban the importation of tiger trophies to the UK.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The Government takes the conservation of endangered species seriously, with imports of hunting trophies into the UK subject to strict controls under the EU Wildlife Trade Regulations.
The UK has adopted stricter national measures for three species, including tigers, than those set out in CITES and in European legislation. The import and export of live wild taken specimens and tiger parts and derivatives, including hunting trophies, is banned.
The UK is also continuing to work hard on the international stage to agree tough, transparent, global standards on trophy hunting to make sure hunting safeguards are of the highest standard and there is no impact on the sustainability of the species concerned. We will continue to discuss this with other countries.
The Government hosted a stakeholder roundtable in May to hear views from all sides of the debate surrounding trophy hunting. Those discussions continue and we are actively reviewing our position on this important issue.
Asked by: Lord Selkirk of Douglas (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 practice of "canned hunting".
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The Government is aware of the practice of so called “canned hunting”. It is considering this issue carefully and will be informed by evidence it continues to gather.
Asked by: Lord Selkirk of Douglas (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will consider banning the importation of lion trophies to the UK, following the decision by Australia, France, and the Netherlands to ban such imports.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
In May 2019 the Government hosted a stakeholder roundtable to hear views from all sides of the debate. We are reviewing existing evidence surrounding trophy hunting and its impact on conservation.