§ Mr. Tony BanksTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much elephant ivory and rhino horn has been seized by the authorities in Hong Kong during the last six months.
§ Mr. Waldegrave[holding answer 22 January 1990]In the last six months, the following has been seized by the authorities in Hong Kong:
Number of seizures Quantity Elephant ivory 27 2.16 tonnes Rhino horn 2 21.2 kilogrammes
§ Mr. Tony BanksTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much ivory has been exported from Hong Kong in the last six months; to which countries it was exported; and how much of such ivory was(a) worked and (b) raw.
§ Mr. Waldegrave[holding answer 22 January 1990]Since 1 June 1989, Hong Kong has exported 4.8 tonnes of worked ivory and 50 tonnes of raw ivory. The principal destinations were China, Macau, Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, India, Thailand, South Korea, the Federal Republic of Germany and Mexico.
§ Mr. Tony BanksTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if all the current ivory stock in Hong Kong is marked and registered in accordance with CITES requirements.
§ Mr. Waldegrave[holding answer 22 January 1990]All ivory stock in Hong Kong that may be traded is marked and registered in accordance with CITES requirements.
§ Mr. Tony BanksTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will give details of the steps being taken by the Hong Kong authorities to monitor the disposal of the ivory stocks which can be traded during the next six months.
§ Mr. Waldegrave[holding answer 22 January 1990]All traders are required to take out possession licences for all commercial ivory and personal effects in excess of 5 kg. Details of stocks are entered into the computer data base of the CITES management authority. The authority has to be notified of transfers of stocks between traders and their stock balance is varied accordingly. An export licence is required for any trader to export ivory, either in raw or in 403W worked form. An export licence will be granted to the trader only if the ivory in question is from the trader's legally registered stock from CITES approved sources and the destination of the export is not a CITES party which exercises a ban on ivory imports.
§ Mr. Tony BanksTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has as to whether all the current ivory stock in Hong Kong was legally acquired.
§ Mr. Waldegrave[holding answer 22 January 1990]: The Hong Kong authorities have inspected all the ivory stocks in the territory. They have found no evidence that the stocks were illegally acquired.
§ Mr. Tony BanksTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the exact current stock of ivory in Hong Kong which may be traded in the next six months; and how much of it is(a) worked and (b) raw.
§ Mr. Waldegrave[holding answer 22 January 1990]: The current stocks of ivory in Hong Kong that may be traded in the next six months are 104 tonnes of worked ivory and 254 tonnes of raw ivory.
§ Mr. Tony BanksTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what will happen to that Hong Kong ivory not disposed of by the end of the six months exemption to the current trade ban.
§ Mr. Waldegrave[holding answer 22 January 1990]: Under the CITES ban, all commercial exports of ivory will cease. Ivory not disposed of by the end of the six months exemption period could not be legally exported as no licence for this would be issued by the Hong Kong authorities. It will remain in Hong Kong.
§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs where the legally held ivory in Hong Kong came from.
§ Mr. Waldegrave[holding answer 30 January 1990]: The Hong Kong authorities believe that Hong Kong stocks are likely to include ivory originating from all major sources, either directly or via intermediary countries.
§ Mr. Tony BanksTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the shipment records of Hong Kong ivory recently given an exemption from the ivory trade ban will be open to inspection by the public.
§ Mr. Waldegrave[holding answer 29 January 1990]: Commercial documents such as bills of lading and export licences are not open to public inspection.
§ Mr. Tony BanksTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the Hong Kong authorities have received from the ivory trade to extend the six-month exemption on the sale of ivory.
§ Mr. Waldegrave[holding answer 29 January 1990]: No representations have been received since the exemption was announced.