To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations his Department (a) has made and (b) intends to make to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora Animals Committee on fin whales in the Central Atlantic. (106210)

The Animals Committee to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), has undertaken to conduct a periodic review of the appendix I listing of the central stock of North Atlantic fin whales. DEFRA was not consulted as part of these considerations.

The aim of the periodic review is to determine whether the listings continue to be appropriate and the species are afforded the correct level of protection.

Range states of the species selected for periodic review are currently being consulted. The CITES secretariat has requested comments on the need to review the fin whale listing by 31 December 2006. We are currently considering how to respond. As a range state, comments made by the UK will then be passed to the Animals Committee for its consideration.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his policy is on the retention of large whale species on Appendix 1 of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. (106211)

The UK Government works closely with other parties in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to ensure that endangered species are protected from the effects of international trade. In line with the International Whaling Commission (IWC) moratorium on commercial whaling, introduced in 1982, all whale species (except the West Greenland population of minke whales) were listed on Appendix I of CITES in 1986. This, in effect, prohibited all commercial trade in whale products. Our policy is to continue to support the current Appendix I CITES listings for whale species.