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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to prepare for the implementation of the Global Ocean Treaty.

The Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement is an important step toward coordinated global action to tackle the climate and nature crisis.  The UK Government introduced legislation on 10 September to enable the UK to implement its obligations under the BBNJ Agreement and move towards ratification. We anticipate that a Statutory Instrument (SI) is required to implement changes to domestic legislation to implement BBNJ provisions relating to Environmental Impact Assessments before the UK can ratify. This SI is being developed by Defra and will be laid before Parliament after the BBNJ Bill receives Royal Assent. Defra will consult stakeholders on the proposed approach to the SI in Autumn 2025. As part of this, Defra is working closely with both the Marine Management Organisation and the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science to understand any practical aspects of implementation of the BBNJ Agreement.