§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their current attitude to the negotiated, but not operative, Convention on the Regulation of Antarctic Mineral Resource Activities; what alternative proposals they are putting forward; and whether these proposals include a ban on all mineral resource activities.
§ Lord ReayWe support the Convention on the Regulation of Antarctic Mineral Resource Activities (CRAMRA), which was in 1988 adopted by consensus among the Antarctic treaty parties, in particular because of the stringent measures for protection of the environment which it lays down. We have not therefore tabled any alternative proposals on mineral resource activity. However, at the recent meeting of Antarctic treaty parties in Chile, the UK tabled a draft environmental protocol to the Antarctic treaty dealing with other urgent questions such as marine pollution, waste disposal and tourism. This, together with other similar drafts, attracted much support from other parties.