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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of collecting, indefinitely storing and regenerating reproductive cells and cell lines from endangered animal species.

Global biodiversity is declining at an alarming rate. Whilst we have no plans to make an assessment of the potential merits of collecting, indefinitely storing and regenerating reproductive cells and cell lines from endangered animal species, we remain fully committed to ensuring our most vulnerable biodiversity is protected. This includes by working with countries to agree an ambitious Global Biodiversity Framework at the forthcoming Convention on Biological Diversity Conference of Parties (CoP15) being held in December this year.