HC Deb 24 July 2000 vol 354 cc389-90W
Mr. Llew Smith

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the measures needed to protect ocean habitats. [131997]

Mr. Mullin

At its annual meeting in Copenhagen on 26 to 30 June, the OSPAR Commission adopted and launched the Quality Status Report on the whole of the North-East Atlantic, the "QSR 2000", along with reports covering the five regions of the OSPAR maritime area. The UK participated, in particular, in the preparation of the reports on the Greater North Sea (Region II) and the Celtic Seas (Region III). Together, these reports comprise the first detailed assessment of the health of the North-East Atlantic.

The assessment concludes that worsening trends in the pollution of the North-East Atlantic have been reversed, and that many significant sources of pollution have been stopped. Nevertheless, the North-East Atlantic is still under threat. The main fields where action is needed are the sustainable management of fish stocks, the continuing impact of some fisheries on fragile ecosystems, and the elimination of inputs of hazardous substances. Organotin compounds from antifouling treatments of ships and concerns about endocrine disrupters are particularly highlighted as problems.

Other important issues identified by the OSPAR Commission are climate changes resulting from human activities and the consequent effects on the marine environment, the need to protect marine biodiversity and ecosystems from human activities, and the impacts of oil spills and discharges of ballast water from shipping.

The Government consider, in line with the conclusions of the Quality Status Report, that the long-term OSPAR strategies, adopted by the Ministerial Meeting in 1998 at Sintra (in which my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister played a leading role) and subsequently, provide a sound framework for future action on hazardous substances, radioactive substances, eutrophication, the protection of marine biodiversity and habitats and the offshore oil and gas industry. The Government will also pursue action in other relevant international forums, including the Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Kyoto Protocol, the International Maritime Organisation (particularly on tributyl tin) and the European Community (particularly on the further development of the Common Fisheries Policy).

The assessment also shows that, in spite of major scientific efforts of OSPAR Commission parties over the last 25 years, there are still major gaps in our understanding of the marine environment, and that improvement of our knowledge base remains a priority. The Government will be working, with our OSPAR partners, to develop effective programmes to remedy such gaps.

The Government are also considering the implications of last autumn's judgment by the High Court that the EU Habitats Directive extends beyond the limits of the territorial seas. They expect to consult before the end of this year on regulations to transpose the Directive to cover the marine environment within UK jurisdiction outside the territorial seas and have begun the process of identifying possible candidate Special Areas of Conservation in that area.