Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, to how many of the Arctic Council working groups the UK contributes; and who attends each such working group as the UK's representatives.

As a State Observer, the British Government monitors all of the Arctic Council's working groups and task forces, contributing to those on which the UK can have a genuine impact. The UK contributes to the work of the Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment, Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna and the Arctic Monitoring Assessment Programme (AMAP) working groups.

UK attendance is by both Government officials and non-Governmental experts, depending on the nature of the meeting and the desired UK input. Foreign Office officials, representatives from the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, the Plymouth Marine Laboratory and the British Antarctic Survey have all attended recent meetings.