§ Ms WalleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the Dutch Government's proposals for a system of marine protected areas for the recovery of sections of the marine ecosystem in the North sea; and if he will make it his policy to support their creation.
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§ Mr. AtkinsI have been asked to reply.
Proposals to designate areas of the sea which would be required to remain undisturbed, in order to assess the way in which damaged marine ecosystems might recover, were considered at the intermediate meeting of North sea Ministers in Copenhagen in December 1993. The meeting, which included United Kingdom Ministers, invited the European Commission to collaborate with the International Council for Exploration of the Sea to investigate suitable scientific criteria for the establishment of such areas on an experimental basis.