§ Mr. John EvansTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if it is Her Majesty's Government's policy to allow the import of illegally extracted timbers; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. NeedhamThere are restrictions on imports into the United Kingdom of a limited range of timber covered by the internationally-agreed Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. Otherwise, it is for countries concerned to enforce their own laws on illegal extraction of timber, not for the United Kingdom to attempt to do so at our external frontier. We do not, however, take lightly the threat posed to the environment by the destruction of tropical forests, hence our policy of fostering sustainable management of these important resources.