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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of delaying the proposed introduction in 2020 of charges for Musical Instrument Certificates (MICs) where instruments contain Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)-listed materials.

We are expecting to introduce a new fees and charges structure for Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) permitting in 2020. This new structure seeks to standardise and simplify the existing charging criteria, and bring CITES Musical Instrument Certificates (MICs) in-line with other permit costs. This will be based on a cost recovery model and supported by a full public consultation and impact assessment. The consultation will consider the timing of implementation as well as the fee structure.