Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Norway concerning that country's announcement that it will start exploratory deep seabed mining in its waters; and what assessment they have made of the impact this would have on wider North-eastern Atlantic fisheries.

The UK Government has not spoken to the Norwegian government about its decision of 9 January 2024 to consider awarding licences for deep sea mining exploration, and potentially future extraction, on its continental shelf but has taken note of the decision. This area is within Norway's jurisdiction and is not regulated by the International Seabed Authority.