Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to ban the keeping of elephants in zoos.

The Government commissioned a 10-year-long report from the UK’s Elephant Welfare Group (EWG) to examine the conditions in which elephants are kept, to make improvements and to make recommendations as to if and how those conditions can be further improved.

The EWG’s report will be completed this year and will be considered by the UK's Zoos Expert Committee. The Government will then respond to the report, probably early next year. The Government will consider the report’s recommendations carefully.