Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to secure international support for a marine protected area in the Weddell Sea.

The UK is a leading advocate for marine protection across the Southern Ocean, having secured agreement for the first Marine Protected Area (MPA) within the international Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR). The UK is a co-proponent for MPA proposals in the Weddell Sea and in East Antarctica, both of which will be presented to the next CCAMLR meeting in October for adoption. There are ongoing international consultations underway at official and technical level to aid adoption. The final proposal will be submitted to CCAMLR this week, we will then work with other EU Members to consider the most appropriate level of lobbying.