Giles Watling, MP for Clacton, has questioned the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Rt Hon Boris Johnson MP, on the steps the Government are taking to tackle the illegal wildlife trade. You can read the exchange below, and watch it here.
Giles Watling
"What steps is his Department taking to tackle the illegal wildlife trade."
Boris Johnson
"We believe that the illegal wildlife trade is not only odious in itself but associated with many other forms of criminality. That is why we are hosting a global conference on tackling the illegal wildlife trade in London this October."
Giles Watling
"According to the International Fund for Animal Welfare, illegal wildlife trading is increasingly occurring on the interweb. Will my right hon. Friend tell me what steps are being taken to counter this?"
Boris Johnson
"My hon. Friend is right on the money there, and indeed ahead of the curve. We see that risk, and that is why the Foreign and Commonwealth Office hosted a group of leading technology companies only a few weeks ago to develop new ways of combating the online trade in these specimens that he mentions."