HL Deb 03 February 1997 vol 577 cc127-8WA
Lord Kennet

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the Written Answer given by Baroness Chalker of Wallasey on 13th November last (WA 101) to the effect that "there is no intentionally agreed definition of outer space" indicates that they do not have a working definition of British airspace within which the United Kingdom has sovereign rights, and of outer space in which it does not; and whether, if they do make such a distinction, at what altitude do they make it.

Baroness Chalker of Wallasey

In the absence of an internationally agreed definition of outer space, we consider each instance in which the distinction between airspace and outer space may be relevant in light of the particular circumstances and the relevant international agreements.

Under the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation, the United Kingdom has sovereignty over the airspace above its territory.