Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of using low-order underwater unexploded ordnance disposal technology in preparation for construction of offshore wind farms.

The Department does not assess or licence the clearance of unexploded ordnance for offshore windfarms. Licenses for the removal of unexploded ordnance are issued by the Marine Management Organisation which sits in Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). As part of their licensing process they assess environmental and other issues related to the proposed clearance.

As part of the Offshore Wind Sector Deal, published on 7 March 2019, the department and Defra are working closely with the sector and wider stakeholders to address strategic deployment issues associated with offshore wind.