§ Mr. SternTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will state the number of licences his Department has issued in each of the past two years for the importation of Stellar's sea eagle; if he will indicate the countries of origin and whether the birds were captive-bred; and if he will list the criteria that have to be met before a licence can be issued for the importation of Stellar's sea eagle.
§ Sir Paul BeresfordIn the last two years my Department has issued one permit allowing the import of two specimens of Stellar's sea eagle. The birds were taken from the wild in Russia.
The criteria that have to be satisfied before an import permit can be issued are set out in article III of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species and are that:
the import will be for purposes which are not detrimental to the survival of the species involved;the proposed recipient of a living specimen is suitably equipped to house and care for it; andthe specimen is not to be used for primarily commercial purposes.