§ Mr. MorleyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what actions the Government are taking to support the CITES enforcement resolution; what financial, training and technical support the Government are giving to CITES enforcement measures; and if he will make a statement. [16939]
§ Sir Paul BeresfordWe are actively implementing the enforcement resolution which was adopted by last November's CITES conference following a United Kingdom initiative. My Department has allocated £240,000 to fund the secondment of an officer from Her Majesty's Customs and Excise to the CITES secretariat to strengthen its enforcement capacity. We will also participate in a new EC enforcement working group to improve CITES implementation in the Community. At home, Her Majesty's Customs and Excise plans further increase in its specialist CITES team. Last month, police visits to oriental pharmacies in London, Birmingham and Manchester resulted in the seizure of large numbers of products suspected of containing parts of endangered species like tigers and rhinos. Code-named "Charm", the operation was planned with the assistance of my Department.