Sea Bed Exploitation (Hansard, 19 March 1979)

§ Mr. Hooley
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress is being made within the United Nations Law of the Sea Conference in the formation of an international legal regime for the exploitation of the sea bed.

§ Mr. Luard
Negotiations resume at the eighth session of the Conference in Geneva from 19 March to 29 April. In addition to the informal composite negotiating text (ICNT) prepared at the494W sixth session, a number of alternative texts drawn up during the seventh session are also under consideration. We hope that the Eighth Session may result in the further revision of the Informal Composite Negotiating Text and the conclusion of the final text of a Treaty.

§ Mr. Hooley
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress is being made within the United Nations Law of the Sea Conference on the establishment of an international seabed authority.

§ Mr. Luard
There is agreement that an international seabed authority should be established under a future convention on the law of the sea. But important aspects of the structure, decision-making procedures and powers of the proposed international seabed authority and its organs remain to be agreed at the Conference.

§ Mr. Hooley
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions have taken place with Commonwealth countries about the exploitation of the deep sea bed.

§ Mr. Luard
The United Kingdom delegation is in regular contact with delegations from other Commonwealth countries to the Conference, both during and between sessions of the Law of the Sea Conference, on questions relating to the exploitation of the deep sea bed.

§ Mr. Hooley
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions have taken place within the EEC on policy towards deep sea bed mining enterprises; and what agreements have emerged.

§ Mr. Luard
Representatives of the European Economic Community member states meet as necessary to exchange views on the progress of negotiations at the Law of the Sea Conference, including the negotiations on a deep sea bed mining regime. It is not the purpose of these meetings to agree a policy toward deep sea bed mining enterprise.

§ Mr. Hooley
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions have taken place between (a) the United Kingdom and the United States of America, and (b) the 495W United Kingdom and the Soviet Union, on the problems of mining the deep sea bed.

§ Mr. Luard
The United Kingdom has had frequent discussions with both the United States and the Soviet Union on these problems during sessions of the Conference and between sessions, most recently at the intersessional consultations in Geneva from 23 January to 7 February 1979.

§ Mr. Hooley
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether it is the policy of Her Majesty's Government that international mining companies have an unrestricted right to exploit the mineral resources of the deep sea bed outside the limits of national jurisdiction.

§ Mr. Luard
In the view of the United Kingdom Government, there is nothing in international or United Kingdom law to prevent companies from exploiting these resources, should no treaty governing the question enter into force. But it is the Government's aim to secure agreement on a Convention which would provide for States, public corporations and private companies, as well as the proposed international mining enterprise, to exploit the resources of the sea bed subject to clearly defined conditions.