Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to help support the Commissioner for South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands following the grounding of iceberg A23a.

The Commissioner for South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (SGSSI) has not requested any support from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) at this stage following the recent grounding of iceberg A23a off the island of South Georgia. The current assessment remains that the iceberg is unlikely to significantly affect the wildlife, and Southern Ocean shipping operators are currently easily able to avoid the iceberg as it hasn't yet started to break up. The FCDO will remain in close contact with the Commissioner for SGSSI and the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) about A23a to identify any support required as it starts to break up and melt. The Ministry of Defence are also seeking to monitor the grounding site when conditions allow.