MPs Grill Spelman Over Illegal timber U-turn
MPs Grill Spelman Over Illegal timber U-turn
  • Korea IT Times
  • 승인 2010.11.16 10:03
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Environment Secretary, Caroline Spelman, last week defended the governments decision not to introduce new legislation banning the possession of illegal timber, maintaining that new EU rules would effectively tackle the import and sale of timber logged from the worlds protected rainforests.

Facing the Environmental Audit Committee on Wednesday, Spelman denied that the government had performed a U-turn after Foreign Secretary William Hague and Climate Minister Greg Barker while in opposition, both pledged to deliver British legislation to make the practice illegal.

The commitment to "make the import or possession of illegal timber a criminal offence" was also included in the coalition agreement and the committee, which is chaired by the Labour MP Joan Walley and includes Green Party MP Caroline Lucas and Conservative MP Zac Goldsmith, pressed Spelman to explain the failure to pass specific legislation.

Spelman maintained that the adoption earlier this year of an EU-wide ban on the import of illegal timber, which will come into effect in 2013, meant there was no longer any need for specific British legislation that would duplicate many of the EU rules.

However, Lucas warned that "shell companies" could easily be set up to get around the import ban, and insisted that only a wide-ranging ban on possession of illegal timber would prove effective at halting the sale of illegal timber.

"The point is that if you only make it illegal at the point of entry, you have absolutely no sanctions against any firms who buy it. Its a huge loophole and we clearly need far more rigorous legislation," Lucas said. Presumably that was recognised when William Hague made the promise so its not clear why its not being recognised now.

Lucas is planning to introduce a private members bill early next year, which if adopted would make it illegal to "transport, sell, receive, acquire or purchase illegal timber products".

However, the committee also touched on the feasibility of such a wide-ranging ban, with Spelman suggesting that it would be difficult to enforce and would have to find a way of dealing with those who are currently unaware of the fact that they possess illegal timber.

source: APEC-VC Korea


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