§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the Soviet Union's rejection of British requests to carry out marine research in the water column in the Soviet exclusive economic zone in the course of tracing the route of caesium escaped from Sellafield is based on its rights under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, whether Her Majesty's Government accept that other states should exercise rights under this convention, and what further steps they propose to take.
§ Baroness YoungThe Soviet authorities based their rejection of the British notification on Article 8 of the 121WA Charter of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on the "Economic Zone of the USSR" of 28th February 1984 and Article 5 of the Charter of the Praesidium of the Supreme Soviet on the "Continental Shelf of the USSR" of 6th February 1968. There is no indication of a link with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which is not in force for any country.