Whether it will make representations to Her Majesty's Government on action that could be taken to combat the illegal smuggling of wildlife …

The control of illegal trade in wildlife imported into the UK is implemented and enforced by the UK Government through the Control of Trade in Endangered Species (Enforcement) Regulations 1997 which set down the police powers, offences and penalties for breaches of the legislation.The Scottish Executive appreciates the concerns expressed by the WWF and the Trade Records Analysis of Flora and Fauna in Commerce (TRAFFIC) in highlighting potential weaknesses in the efforts of Government and its agencies in their efforts to combat illegal trade in wildlife. The Executive is in regular contact with the UK Government on all aspects of wildlife crime through its membership of the Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime (PAW), which includes key Departments of the UK Government, the Police and other enforcement agencies.The Executive's commitment to tackling the illegal international wildlife trade is clearly demonstrated through its funding in April this year of a two-year secondment of an intelligence officer to the UK's National Wildlife Crime Unit, based at the National Criminal Intelligence Service in London.The specific issues relating to the level of illegal smuggling of wildlife through Scottish ports referred to in the WWF report will be raised by the Executive's representative on the PAW Steering Group when it next meets in January 2003.