HC Deb 01 November 1994 vol 248 cc999-1001W
Mr. Tony Banks

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 27 October,Official Report, column 754 what happened to the tiger products seized by Her Majesty's Customs and Excise in the period 1989 to 1994.

Mr. Heathcoat-Amory

There are no disposal records for 1989, but the 1990 seizure was loaned to a zoological establishment to feature in an endangered species exhibition. The remaining items, from 1991 up to the present time, have either been destroyed or retained by Her Majesty's Customs and Excise for display or training purposes and to form the nucleus of a reference collection of tiger derivatives.

Mr. Tony Banks

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 27 October, if he will give details of the country of origin of tiger products seized between 1989 and 1994.

Mr. Heathcoat-Amory

Customs records for 1989 and 1990 seizures do not contain details of the country of either export or origin.

Further to my answer of 27 October, Official Report, column 754, four musk and tiger-bone plasters were mistakenly described as tiger bones, and according to recently received scientific advice the 13 claws derived from lion only. For convenience, therefore, the following list reproduces the corrected information on seizures from 1991 to date, together with available details of countries of origin where known—COO—or, when not, the countries whence consigned—CWC:

Year Seizure COO CWC
1991 Handbag Australia
1992 —
1993 Skin, 1 whole & 1 piece India
1 pair of shoes Saudi Arabia
Tincture of tigerbone–2 bottles China
Tiger bone plaster:
–20 packets USA
–12 packets Hong Kong
–11 packets China
Tiger bone pills:
–50 boxes Hong Kong
–1 box China
–420 tablets China
Tiger bone medicine:
–1 packet & 3 sachets China
Tiger claws India
1994 Tiger bone plasters:
–20 Tanzania
–4 China
–2 N/k N/k
Tincture of tiger bone—
20 x 70 cl bottles China USA

Mr. Tony Banks

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 27 October, how many prosecutions followed the seizures of tiger products in the period since 1989.

Mr. Heathcoat-Amory

None.

Mr. Tony Banks

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 27 October,Official Report, column 754, what information he has of the intended destination of the tiger products seized between 1989 and 1994.

Mr. Heathcoat-Amory

With one exception, customs' action was confined to seizure of the goods and there is no information on the intended destinations apart from the importers' addresses.

In the one case which was investigated for deliberate evasion, customs was satisfied that a medicinal product had been imported to treat a genuine medical complaint and that there were no grounds to support legal proceedings.