§ Mr. Ron DaviesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what criteria he follows in determining appeals against refusal for import licences under CITES; how many such applications have been made in each of the last three years; and of these how many were approved.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyApplications for import licences are decided on their merits, in the light of advice from our scientific advisers and in accordance with the requirements of EC regulation 3626/82 which implements the convention on international Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) within the European Community. There is no statutory right of appeal against the refusal of an import licence, but if new evidence is presented the Department is normally willing to reconsider applications which have been refused. The Department has no record of the number of applications which have been reconsidered.