Endangered Species (Hansard, 16 May 1990)

§ Mr. Dalyell
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Linlithgow of 26 February,Official Report, columns 428W 21–22, whether he will seek to recover the operating costs of the Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act 1976, as he is empowered to do under section 1(5) of that Act.

§ Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
Section 1(5) of the 1976 Act empowers the Secretary of State to charge for the issue of a licence under the Act. He has no plans to invoke those powers at present.

§ Mr. Dalyell
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Linlithgow of 26 February,Official Report, columns 21–22, (a) if he will publish the list provided by the Nature Conservancy Council in 1985 of species unlikely to survive in captivity, and therefore eligible for protection under section 3 (dd) of the Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act 1976 and (b) which of those listed species are still exempt from licensing under that Act or any other legislation and not restricted for import;
(2) if he has conveniently available figures to show how many birds of species included in the Nature Conservancy Council's list of species unlikely to survive in captivity were recorded in Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food's quarantine statistics as imported into the United Kingdom during 1988; and what was the average mortality suffered on arrival or in quarantine.

§ Mr. Trippier
I will write to the hon. Member.

§ Mr. Dalyell
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Linlithgow of 26 February,Official Report, columns 21–22, what action his Department takes to ensure that sufficient regard is taken of section 3(dd) of the Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act 1976, in consideration of its schedules and in the administration of licences.

§ Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
In the light of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food quarantine statistics for 1988 we are considering whether, in view of section 3(dd), any further species should be brought within the control of the 1976 Act. Inclusion in the list provided by the Nature Conservancy Council of species which generally do not survive well in captivity except in specialist hands is a factor which is taken into account in deciding import applications for those species.