§ Mr. CorbynTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made to the Government of Japan concerning ratification of the Antarctic treaty; and if he will make a statement. [671]
§ Sir Nicholas BonsorI refer the hon. member to the answer that I gave him on 22 July,Official Report, columns 39–40, since when there has been further correspondence between British and Japanese officials on detailed technical issues relating to the environmental protocol and we have against urged Japan to ratify the protocol as soon as possible.
§ Mr. CorbynTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in discussions with fellow signatories to the Antarctic treaty on the establishment of a secretariat; and if he will make a statement. [672]
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§ Sir Nicholas BonsorI refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave on 22 July,Official Report, columns 39–40. There has been no recent discussion.
§ Mr. CorbynTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the total budget spent in each of the last three years on(a) Britain's responsibility on Antarctica through the Antarctic treaty and (b) grant to the British Antarctic Survey. [225]
§ Sir Nicholas BonsorOur only financial responsibility in relation to the Antarctic treaty is contributions to the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources. FCO contributions for the last three years were as follows:
- 1993–94: £31,685
- 1994–95: £31,932
- 1995–96: £32,700
The Natural Environment Research Council is responsible for funding the British Antarctic Survey. The council provided the following information on the NERC grant to the survey in each of the last three years:
- 1993–94: £21,436,000
- 1994–95: £24,321,000
- 1995–96: £26,380,000