§ Mrs. Ann TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what was the number of licences which were issued for the import of humming birds and other nectar feeding birds in 1988 and 1989, and the average number of birds covered by each licence;
(2) what advice he has received from the United Kingdom Scientific Authority on the convention on trade in endangered species concerning the importation of humming birds and other nectar feeding birds.
§ Mr. TrippierThe information requested is as follows:
Licences issued1 Birds per licence 1988 1989 1988 1989 Humming birds (trochilidae) 51 32 22 30 Nectar feeding birds (nectariniidae) 206 372 26 31 1 Not all licences issued are used. Our scientific adviser, the joint nature conservation committee, is consulted on all applications to import these birds. It has advised my Department that a number of these species are extremely sensitive and difficult to keep in captivity, although there is no reason why they should not be kept by zoos or individuals with specialist knowledge.