§ Mr. BanksTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many prosecutions have resulted from seizures of ivory and ivory products in each of the last five years. [153055]
§ John HealeyI refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the right hon. Member for Maidstone and The Weald (Miss Widdecombe) on 6 February 2004,Official Report, column 1082W.
§ Mr. BanksTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what disposal methods have been used for ivory tusks and products seized by Her Majesty's Customs and Excise since 1999. [153056]
§ John HealeyIvory tusks and products seized by Customs are destroyed by incineration, apart from small quantities donated on request for medical and1350W other scientific research or to museums and zoos for educational purposes. In addition, Customs retain a few samples for public education and staff training purposes.
§ Mr. BanksTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 29 January 2004,Official Report, column 496W, on ivory, what type of ivory products were seized; and what information he has collated on the country of origin in each case. [153093]
§ John HealeyI very much regret that my answer of 28 January 2004,Official Report, column 354W, inadvertently contained an incorrect figure. The table gives the corrected information.
Ivory tusks Other items containing ivory Calendar year Number of seizures Number of items seized Number of seizures Number of items seized Total number of seizures 2003 7 22 23 126 30 2002 4 5 18 74 22 2001 6 8 27 649 33 2000 6 19 19 84 25 1999 7 12 11 13 18 Total 30 66 98 946 128 The 1,012 ivory items seized by HM Customs and Excise since 1999 consisted of the following:
Number Elephant tusks 17 Knives 2 Jewellery 66 Statues 33 Carved ivory 44 Piano keys 411 Other parts of musical instruments 8 Furniture 7 Other ivory pieces 258 In addition, Customs seized the following items, which are treated as ivory for the purposes of recording seizures:
Number Rhino horn 1 Walrus tusk 3 Hippo tusk 15 Other tusks 30 Hippo teeth 117 Information on the country of origin of the products seized is not available.