Mr. Bittenasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what consideration has been given to the ratification of the 1973 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. EnnalsThe Government attach great importance to both the ratification of the Washington Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and to the implementation of its provisions.
It is our intention to ratify the convention as soon as consultations with the 54W dependent territories, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands have been completed. We wish to include as many of these territories as possible in our instrument of ratification, thus increasing the effectiveness of the convention. Any delay in depositing our instrument of ratification will not, however, hold up the implementation of the provisions of the convention in the United Kingdom. We have already given an undertaking to do this by the end of the year using existing United Kingdom legislation. We are also consulting with our partners in the European Economic Community with regard to the effect of the implementation of the convention on intra-Community trade.