Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he has taken to secure the adoption of a marine sanctuary in the Weddell Sea.

The UK is supportive of proposals for Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the Weddell Sea and East Antarctica, both of which are being presented at the meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) currently taking place and due to conclude on the 2 November 2018. UK scientists and experts have been closely involved in the development of the Weddell Sea proposals. Foreign Office officials have also been lobbying other members of CCAMLR in favour of the proposals.