§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether there are still impediments to the United Kingdom signing the Convention on the Law of the Sea; if so, what are these impediments, and what steps they are taking to dissolve them in order that the United Kingdom may sign the convention.
§ Baroness Chalker of WallaseyWe still have difficulties with the seabed mining provisions contained in Part XI of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. We have participated in consultations set up by the UN Secretary General, aimed at resolving the issues which have prevented industrialised countries from ratifying the convention. There has been some progress. We will be participating in the next round of consultations in August 1993.