Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent steps he has taken to ensure the security of the British Antarctic Territory.

HMS PROTECTOR, the Royal Navy’s Ice Patrol Ship, deployed to Antarctic during the last Austral Summer, as it does most years. This presence reaffirms UK sovereignty over the British Antarctic Territory, as well as observing the presence of other nations and carrying out inspections in compliance with Article VII of the Antarctic Treaty.