Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on protection of the Arctic environment and its eco-system.

The British Government is committed to the protection of the Arctic environment through bilateral and multilateral engagement in the region. The UK is an observer to the Arctic Council and actively engages its working groups and task forces, encouraging expert engagement as appropriate. The Arctic is often discussed in bilateral discussions with representatives of the Arctic States. My Hon Friend, the Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation (Jo Johnson) attended the first White House Arctic Science Ministerial meeting in September 2016, meeting science Ministers from 24 other countries and representatives from Arctic Indigenous peoples' organisations to advance international reserch efforts focused on the Arctic .