§ Mr. McGradyTo ask the Prime Minister what discussions he has had with his European Community partners about the establishment of a sanctuary for whales in the Antarctic; and if he will make a statement.
§ The Prime MinisterThe forum for discussion on this matter is the International Whaling Commission—IWC —of which the United Kingdom and six other Community countries—Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and Spain—are members.
The French proposal for a whale sanctuary in the Antarctic, put to the IWC at its 44th meeting in Glasgow last June, is due for detailed consideration when the Commission next meets in Kyoto in May 1993. The United Kingdom was one of those countries which encouraged the IWC to undertake further work on this idea. We shall play a full part in its further consideration in liaison with those of our Community partners which are party to the IWC.