§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is Her Majesty's Government's policy on the lifting, in any respect, of the current ivory ban; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Heathcoat-AmoryThe Government remain firmly committed to maintaining the ivory trade ban for as long as it is necessary to ensure the survival and recovery of elephant populations. The CITES convention provides for species to be removed from appendix I when no longer endangered, but the Government have no plans to initiate proposals for such a reclassification.