§ Mr. Allen McKayasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if Her Majesty's Government will take steps to encourage the protection of the irreplaceable tropical forests by limiting imports of hardwoods.
4W
§ Mr. Alan ClarkThe Government attach great importance to halting the erosion of tropical moist forests and to promoting sustainable management and conservation policies. This is a fundamental objective of the international tropical timber agreement; which the United Kingdom was one of the first to ratify. The International Tropical Timber Organisation has been established as the executive arm of the ITTA to co-ordinate a work programme in advance to the next ITTO meeting which is expected to take place in Yokohama next March, The United Kingdom intends to participate actively in these discussions.
The import of endangered species of hardwood is already strictly controlled under the convention of international trade on endangered species of wild flora and fauna which is implemented throughout the Community by EC regulations Nos. 3626/82 and 3418/83.