§ Mr. GummerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will support the ban on the import of furs caught by leghold traps agreed to by Environment Ministers in the EU.[638]
§ Mr. PrescottWe expect to receive formal proposals from the Commission shortly about resolving this issue. We will consider these in the light of our aim to end the use of such cruel trapping methods.
§ Mr. GummerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what discussions he plans to hold with the incoming Luxembourg presidency to carry through the ban on fur imports from countries using leghold traps; [854]
(2) when he plans to meet his (a) US, (b) Canadian and (c) Russian colleagues to confirm the United Kingdom's decision to insist upon a ban on fur imports from countries not proposing to phase out leghold traps; [856]
(3) what discussions he has had with the Dutch Presidency on the implementation of a ban on the import of furs caught by leghold traps.[853]
§ Mr. PrescottMy hon. Friend the Minister of State will be meeting his opposite numbers from the Netherlands and Luxembourg on 4 and 9 June to discuss a number of issues of mutual concern, including the 1991 EC Leghold Traps Regulation. I have no immediate plans to meet Ministerial colleagues from the fur exporting countries.