Ivory Bill Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Rosie Winterton
Main Page: Rosie Winterton (Labour - Doncaster Central)Department Debates - View all Rosie Winterton's debates with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Ivory Bill
Rosie Winterton ExcerptsWednesday 4th July 2018
(6 years ago)
Commons ChamberRead Full debate Ivory Act 2018 View all Ivory Act 2018 Debates Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts Amendment Paper: Consideration of Bill Amendments as at 4 July 2018 - (4 Jul 2018)
Several hon. Members rose—
Madam Deputy Speaker (Dame Rosie Winterton)
Order. Just for guidance, may I say that if colleagues can stick to about seven minutes each, we will get everyone in? The Minister has yet to speak.
Mr Ranil Jayawardena (North East Hampshire) (Con)
I am pleased that the Bill has made progress in Committee, building on the Government’s proactive work. As I have said before, I am pleased not only because of my interest in this area—that was why I founded the all-party group on endangered species with Members on both sides of the House—but because, like Opposition Members, many Conservative Members were elected on a manifesto promise to tackle the international wildlife trade and to press for a total ban on ivory sales. That was in the first manifesto I stood on. It is a manifesto promise I intend to keep, and I wish to highlight the last point in that specific wording. While the Minister is to be commended for bringing forward this much-needed Bill, in an unrelentingly positive manner, to protect these strong, smart, gentle endangered animals from murder—that is what it is: some 20,000 elephants are murdered each year for their ivory—we must protect many, many more species.