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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the risk to the marine environment from the clearance of unexploded ordnance; and what steps his Department is taking to mitigate that risk.

Defra recognises the significant impact underwater noise from ordnance clearance and other activities can have on vulnerable marine species. We are working closely with the Marine Management Organisation (MMO), other Government departments, Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies (SNCBs) and marine industries to manage and reduce underwater noise but must ensure any clearance method for the removal of unexploded ordnance is both safe and effective.

The Government is currently investigating low order techniques as alternatives to detonation in the removal of unexploded ordnance (UXO) from the seabed. Defra welcomed controlled quarry testing of deflagration, a specific low order technique which burns out the explosive material in a controlled manner, funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), which showed positive noise reductions.

Defra’s recently formed Offshore Wind Enabling Actions Programme includes a dedicated team focusing on reducing, monitoring and managing the impacts of underwater noise, including from UXO clearance, to reduce harm and enable the sustainable and responsible growth of the offshore wind sector. This team will be working with BEIS through its Strategic Environmental Assessment programme to collect the further evidence needed on low order techniques for the clearance of UXO, to ensure safety and efficacy as well as confirming if findings are transferable to the offshore marine environment. Our aim is to commence further research this summer.

Additionally, any removal of UXO must be individually assessed in accordance with our Habitats Regulations. As the relevant marine regulator, the MMO considers all forms of potential mitigation to effectively manage underwater noise prior to issuing a marine licence under the Marine and Coastal Access Act (2009). A marine species licence is also required if the activity is likely to negatively affect a protected species, which includes all dolphins, whales and porpoises. Further, marine mammal specialists are deployed to ensure there are no marine mammals in the vicinity and where appropriate bubble curtains are used to limit the sound travelling through the water.