Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, with reference to the written statement of 16 October 2023 entitled Update on the Marine Biodiversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement, HCWS1062, what further legislative proposals he plans to bring forward prior to the ratification of the BBNJ treaty.

The UK was pleased to be among the first signatories to the Biodiversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement when it opened for signature at the UN on 20 September 2023 and the Agreement was laid before Parliament for scrutiny on 16 October 2023. Work is in hand on the legislation and other measures needed to translate the detailed and complex provisions of the Agreement into UK law before we can ratify the Agreement, which will be taken forward when parliamentary time allows.