Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that a proposed Marine Protected Area for East Antarctica is implemented.

The UK continues to support the establishment of Marine Protected Areas within the area covered by the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR - which is part of the Antarctic Treaty system). The UK supports, and is fully engaged in, developing proposals for a Marine Protected Area in East Antarctica, which will be presented at the next annual CCAMLR meeting for discussion and adoption.