HC Deb 25 April 2002 vol 384 cc385-6W
Malcolm Bruce

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which international conventions on the environment(a) her Department and (b) the Government have signed since 1997; what the timetable for implementation is in each case; and what steps her Department is taking to monitor implementation. [51924]

Mr. Meacher

[holding answer 23 April 2002]: Since 1997 the United Kingdom has signed the following international conventions on the environment:

  1. (i) The Montreal Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. Signed: September 1997
  2. (ii) The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships 1973 as Modified by the Protocol of 1978 Relating Thereto—Annexe VI: Regulations for the Prevention of Air Pollution from Ships. Signed: September 1997
  3. (iii) The Kyoto Protocol to the Framework Convention on Climate Change. Signed: April 1998
  4. (iv) The Protocol on Persistent Organic Pollutants to the Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution. Signed: June 1998
  5. (v) The Protocol on Heavy Metals to the Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution. Signed: June 1998
  6. (vi) The Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade. Signed: September 1998
  7. (vii) The Beijing Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. Signed: December 1999
  8. (viii) The Gothenburg Protocol to Abate Acidification, Eutrophication and Ground-Level Ozone to the Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution. Signed: December 1999
  9. (ix) The Cartegena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity. Signed: May 2000
  10. (x) The Basel Protocol on Liability and Compensation for Damage Resulting from Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal. Signed: December 2000
  11. (xi) The Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels under the Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals. Signed: June 2001
  12. (xii) The International Convention on the Control of Harmful Anti-Fouling Systems on Ships. Signed: October 2001
  13. (xiii) The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. Signed: December 2001.

With respect to the timetable for implementation of these conventions, the United Kingdom must have all measures in force to give effect to a convention before ratification. The timetable for ratification will take into account the need for action by the European Union. Where conventions include specific timetables for action the United Kingdom will comply with those provisions. Reporting requirements on implementation are determined by each instrument on a case by case basis.