Overseas Territories (Hansard, 1 March 2002)

§ Matthew Taylor
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place the final draft of the overseas territories model legislation for implementation of the report to the Counter Terrorism Committee, pursuant to paragraph 6 of Security Council Resolution 1373 (2001) of 28 September 2001 and 20 December 2001, in the Library; and if he will make a statement. [38117]

§ Mr. Bradshaw
Copies of the final draft of the Order In Council which will replicate in several Overseas Territories the terrorist financing provisions of the Terrorism Act 2000 and the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 will be placed in the Library as soon as they are available.

§ Matthew Taylor
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the progress(a) the Cayman Islands, (b) Bermuda and (c) Gibraltar have made in bringing forward legislation to implement the report to the Counter Terrorism Committee, pursuant to paragraph 6 of Security Council Resolution 1373 (2001) of 28 September 2001 and 20 December 2001. [38116]

§ Mr. Bradshaw
Bermuda, Gibraltar and the Cayman Islands have agreed to enact local legislation equivalent to the terrorist financing provisions of the Terrorism Act 2000 and the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001. The United Kingdom is producing model draft legislation, which we hope the legislature in each territory will be able to approve by June 2002.

§ Mr. Key
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what work is in progress on the designation of exclusive economic zones in respect of(a) the Falkland Islands, (b) St. Georgia, (c) St Helena and (d) Ascension Island; what deadline is for designation under Article 76 of the UN Law of the Sea Convention 1984; and if he will make a statement. [37751]

§ Mr. MacShane
Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982 (UNCLOS) coastal states may declare an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) beyond and adjacent to their territorial sea up to 200 nautical miles from their baselines. Coastal states may declare instead an equivalent zone and exercise more limited jurisdiction in that zone. The Falkland Islands and St. Helena and Dependencies (which include Ascension Island) have declared a 200 nautical1640W mile fisheries zone. South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands have declared a 200 nautical mile maritime zone.
Under Article 76 of UNCLOS coastal states claiming a continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles are required to make a submission to the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS). In respect of the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Ascension Island and St. Helena any submission should be made as soon as possible, but in any event by 13 May 2009.
The preparatory work to make submissions to the CLCS in respect of the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, and Ascension Island is under way and it is expected that the submissions will be made before the deadline.
No work is being undertaken to make a submission to the CLCS under Article 76 of UNCLOS in respect of St. Helena because the geomorphology of the seabed around the island does not support a claim to a continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles.