Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his policy is on adherence by his Department to the (a) London Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter 1972 and (b) London Protocol to that convention adopted in 1996.

The London Convention was adopted in 1972 and banned the dumping of specified wastes at sea, marking a significant step towards protecting the marine environment from human activities. The London Protocol, adopted in 1996, built on and modernised the principles developed under the London Convention. The London Protocol is a full treaty that supersedes the London Convention 1972.

The UK is a Contracting Party to the London Protocol and has ratified the treaty. The UK complies with its international obligations under the London Protocol and it is implemented in the UK via the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009, in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010.