§ Mr. Tony BanksTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what changes he has made since 1990 to the controls over the import of species deemed by his Department to be unlikely to survive in captivity. [8778]
§ Mr. ClappisonEC regulations governing the import of endangered species into the Community fully superseded national legislation on completion of the single market in 1993. In June 1995, the Council of Ministers reached political agreement on a new EC wildlife trade regulation which would enable member states collectively to impose restrictions on the import of live specimens of species which have a high mortality rate during shipment or which are unlikely to survive in captivity. Subject to satisfactory completion of its remaining stages, the proposed regulation is expected to come into force on 1 January 1997.