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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that underwater munitions clearance contractors who claim to have environmentally friendly methods of clearance, such as low order deflagration, do have the capability as claimed on their application for a licence.

Defra recognises the impact underwater noise from ordnance clearance can have on the marine environment and we have made clear in a joint position statement, published in November 2021, that quieter alternatives to loud detonations should be prioritised. The relevant regulator rigorously assesses each license application to clear unexploded ordnance from the seabed. All regulators require applicants to provide data to demonstrate the technology’s effectiveness at reducing environmental impacts, submit a detailed impact assessment, associated mitigation requirements and a robust monitoring plan, including noise monitoring, which is used to verify the technology’s effectiveness. The Government is also testing a range of alternative clearance technologies.