Law of the Sea (Hansard, 18 December 2001)

§ Mr. Weir
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) if she plans to consult the(a) Executive of the National Assembly for Wales, (b) Scottish Executive and (c) Executive of the Northern Ireland Assembly prior to the Government's submission to the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea by 17 December; [21800]
(2) what plans she has for discussions with the (a) Executive of the National Assembly of Wales, (b) Scottish Executive, (c) Executive of the Northern Ireland Assembly, (d) Government of Iceland, (e) Government of Norway and (f) Government of the Irish Republic following the decision of the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea on MOX; [21790]
(3) which parties she plans to consult prior to the UK Government's submission to the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea on 17 December. [21801]

§ Mr. Wilson
The International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea has prescribed the following provisional measureIreland and the UK shall co-operate and shall, for this purpose, enter into consultations forthwith in order to:

(a) Exchange further information with regard to possible consequences for the Irish Sea arising out of the commissioning of the MOX plant;

(b) Monitor risks or the effects of the operation of the MOX plant for the Irish Sea;

(c) Devise, as appropriate, measures to prevent pollution of the marine environment which might result from the operation of the MOX plant."

On 17 December, the Government submitted their initial report to ITLOS setting out the steps the UK has taken and which it proposes to take in order to comply with the provisional measure. A copy was sent to the Government of Ireland. I have placed a copy of that report in the Libraries of the House.
The provisional measure relates to co-operation and exchange of information between the Governments of Ireland and the United Kingdom. There is no intention at this stage to consult others on the question of compliance with it.

§ Llew Smith
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the documentation Her Majesty's Government plans to exchange with the Government of the Republic of Ireland on Sellafield as a result of the ruling of the United Nations International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea of 3 December; and if she will place in the Library copies of all documents made available to Ireland following the ITLOS adjudication. [22842]

§ Mr. Wilson
The International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) has prescribed the following provisional measureIreland and the UK shall co-operate and shall, for this purpose, enter into consultations forthwith in order to:
(a) Exchange further information with regard to possible consequences for the Irish Sea arising out of the commissioning of the MOX plant;l
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(b) Monitor risks or the effects of the operation of the MOX plant for the Irish Sea;

(c) Devise, as appropriate, measures to prevent pollution of the marine environment which might result from the operation of the MOX plant"
The Government are currently exploring with the Government of Ireland arrangements for ensuring compliance with the provisional measure including the form co-operation might take. On 17 December, the Government submitted their initial report to ITLOS setting out the steps the UK has taken and which it proposes to take in order to comply with the provisional measure. A copy was sent to the Government of Ireland. I have placed a copy of that report in the Libraries of the House.