Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reasons there has been a decline in average quarterly seizures of ivory in the last four years; and if he will make a statement.

The volume of seized commodities, such as ivory, sometimes fluctuates between years due to a few large volume seizures in previous years.

Border Force continues to work closely and dynamically with the police and the National Wildlife Crime Unit to control illegal imports and exports of ivory and respond to emerging threats. It is also working innovatively with the National Association of Valuers and Auctioneers (NAVA) to facilitate the surrender of ivory to Border Force for destruction where its provenance cannot be established

Border Force Transparency Data figures (2014-2017) shows that the number of seizures made have increased from 40 seizures in 2014 through to 176 seizures in 2017.