Dear Constituent.
Thank you for writing to me on deep sea mining.
The Government set out its ‘precautionary and conditional’ approach in the following Written Answer:
‘The UK is fully engaged in the ongoing negotiations at the International Seabed Authority (ISA) Council and Assembly, to agree deep sea mining exploitation regulations. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office leads the UK delegation to the ISA.
The UK’s policy is not to sponsor or support the issuing of any exploitation licences for deep sea mining projects unless and until there is sufficient scientific evidence about the potential impact on deep sea ecosystems, and strong enforceable environmental Regulations, Standards and Guidelines have been developed by the ISA and are in place. The UK’s approach is both precautionary and conditional.
The Government commissioned an independent review from the British Geological Survey, the National Oceanography Centre and Heriot-Watt University. The review was published in October 2022 and is available [on the BGS website].’ (Deep Sea Mining, WQ 193458; Nusrat Ghani MP, Minister of State, DBT; 21 July 2023)
Thank you again.
Yours sincerely,
Mel Stride MP
MP for Central Devon