§ The Minister for the Environment (Mr. Elliot Morley)The agreement on the conservation of albatrosses and petrels (ACAP) is the key international treaty, concluded under the convention on migratory species, which deals with the conservation of albatrosses and petrels in the southern hemisphere. The UK played a leading role in drawing up the agreement and was amongst the first to sign it, in June 2001. The agreement entered into force on 1 February as a result of ratification by the fifth party, South Africa, in November 2003.
In May 2003 I laid an explanatory memorandum before both Houses of Parliament relating to the ratification of ACAP (Command Paper no 5826) in respect of the UK and the British Antarctic territory.
Some of the legal issues raised by the treaty have required further consideration and analysis and the Government did not in fact proceed to ratification last year. In the meantime I am pleased to say that more UK Overseas territories in the range of the species covered by the Agreement have indicated their wish to be included in the UK's ratification and have ensured that their legislation can meet the agreement's requirements.
58WS The Government recognises the urgent need to ratify this agreement as quickly as possible. We have long indicated our strong commitment to the conservation of these species, which are at serious risk from a range of human influences, and wish to play our full part in international efforts.
I am therefore tabling a revised explanatory memorandum today indicating that we propose to ratify the Agreement, without reservations and without further delay, for the UK and the British Antarctic territory, the Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. I intend that the instrument of ratification shall be deposited with the Australian Government on 2 April.
As the Government takes these urgent steps, we are conscious that Parliament will have less time than convention normally allows to consider the revised memorandum. However, we believe this to be a special case on the grounds that the agreement itself has been available to both Houses since May 2003. In fact a number of hon. Members have urged the Government recently to take urgent steps to ratify the agreement in the light of the serious conservation issues it addresses. In these circumstances the Government considers that a shortening of the normal scrutiny period is reasonable.