To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions for what reasons the Government (a) abstained from the vote to down list three populations of African elephants at the CITES conference and (b) agreed to an exemption to the ban on ivory sales by Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe. [17578]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Environment to my hon. Friend the Member for Barnsley, East and Mexborough (Mr. Ennis) on 8 July, Official Report, column 449, which reports the main decisions taken by the Conference.