Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with governments of (1) countries in the European Union, (2) the United States of America, and (3) Middle East countries, regarding deep seabed mining.

On 30 October 2023, the UK Government announced its support for a moratorium on the granting of exploitation licences for deep sea mining projects by the International Seabed Authority (ISA). The UK set out this position to international partners at the 28th Session of the ISA Council meeting in November 2023. The UK continues to engage proactively in the work of the ISA alongside other member States of the ISA (including from countries in the European Union) and with the USA who attend as an Observer State. The UK will attend ISA Council and Assembly meetings in July this year.