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1185272

registered interest
date	16/03/2020
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Deep Sea Mining
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that the precautionary principle is applied to deep sea mining techniques that cannot be monitored from the surface.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	29901
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/03/2020 answer text <p>The UK is using the precautionary principle in relation to deep sea mining and has agreed not to sponsor or support the issuing of any exploitation licences for deep sea mining projects until there is sufficient scientific evidence about the potential impact on deep sea ecosystems and strong and enforceable environmental standards have been developed by the ISA and are in place.</p><p>The UK is calling for the precautionary principle to be included in the development of the Regulations, Standards and Guidelines for deep sea mining at the International Seabed Authority (ISA).</p> answering member constituency Rochford and Southend East answering member printed James Duddridge question first answered 26/03/2020 09:19:12 answering member 1559 label Biography information for Sir James Duddridge
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1185274

registered interest
date	16/03/2020
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	International Seabed Authority
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of reviewing the (a) governance, (b) accountability and (c) competency for (i) contract reviews, (ii) inspections, (iii) audits, (iv) environmental monitoring, (v) enforcement and (vi) other regulatory activities of the International Seabed Authority.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	29903
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/03/2020 answer text <p>The functions and structure of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) are laid out in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. The work of the ISA is overseen by the Council and Assembly of the ISA. The UK is a member of both organs. UNCLOS provides for a periodic review of the ISA, the most recent of which was completed in 2017. In the Council and Assembly the UK supports the importance of the ISA having adequate resources and expertise to carry out these functions, in particular in anticipation of a future move from exploration to exploitation.</p> answering member constituency Rochford and Southend East answering member printed James Duddridge question first answered 26/03/2020 09:20:18 answering member 1559 label Biography information for Sir James Duddridge
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1185275

registered interest
date	16/03/2020
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Deep Sea Mining
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if she will undertake a review of the (a) scope and (b) objectives of the proposed International Seabed Authority Mining Code to ensure that that code includes a process for (i) protecting biodiversity, (ii) assessing the potential effects of mining on the environment and (iii) avoiding those effects that is (A) is able to take into account independent scientific advice, (B) includes stakeholder consultation, (C) allows for the rejection of mining proposals where the potential effects of those proposals are too great or uncertain and (D) provides for the potential closure of large, ecologically important areas of the deep sea to mineral extraction.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	29904
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/03/2020 answer text <p>The draft Regulations for the exploitation phase of deep sea mining are being negotiated at the International Seabed Authority (ISA). The UK will continue to call for transparent, science-based and environmentally sound regulation of seabed mining by the ISA to ensure effective protection of deep sea habitats and biodiversity. We will use our position in the Council and Assembly of the ISA to secure the adoption of a mining code that provides for robust and accountable oversight of mining activity. This includes enshrining the precautionary principle and an ecosystem approach in the mining code; ensuring that in addition to the core regulations, effective and binding standards and guidelines to ensure environmentally sound mining have been adopted before exploitation licences are granted, and that these reflect the different specific environmental and other features of the different mineral deposits; ensuring that Regional Environmental Management Plans (REMPs) with robust environmental objectives are established before exploitation licences can be granted and that there is a clear regulatory link between the REMPs and exploitation licences; ensuring transparency in the implementation of the Regulations; reinforcing the importance of consultation and expert input both in the development of the Regulations, Standards and Guidelines and in the consideration of any future applications; allowing for the suspension of mining activities when operators fail to adhere to environmental safeguards or where new evidence of risk of serious harm arises.</p> answering member constituency Rochford and Southend East answering member printed James Duddridge question first answered 24/03/2020 16:19:08 answering member 1559 label Biography information for Sir James Duddridge
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1183920

registered interest
date	10/03/2020
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Cyprus: Politics and Government
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his UN counterparts to resume efforts to establish a summit between opposing parties in Cyprus to seek a reunification of that island.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	27568
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/03/2020 answer text <p>The UK is a strong supporter of a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the Cyprus issue, based on the internationally accepted model of a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation. We endorse the UN Secretary-General's view that prospects for a settlement remain alive. We welcome his continued willingness to work with the parties, such as his meeting of 25 November with the Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot leaders, and the engagement of UN Secretary General's Representative on the Cyprus Dispute, Ms Jane Holl Lute, and hope this will lead to a return to comprehensive negotiations.</p> answering member constituency Aldridge-Brownhills answering member printed Wendy Morton question first answered 18/03/2020 16:43:43 answering member 4358 label Biography information for Wendy Morton
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord