Select committee: Environmental Audit Committee
Recommendation 32
Sixth Report - The UK and the Arctic Environment
Published 13 Oct 2023
Paragraph 215
Environmental Audit Committee All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
While UK Arctic researchers punch well above their weight, they also require international collaboration to be efficient and to maximise their impact. Polar infrastructure for science is expensive but necessary, and international collaboration is needed to enable us to understand the Arctic, such as through international projects to share different observations and modelling, and through the shared use of infrastructure. As part of the long-term research strategy that we recommend, the Government should include its approach to international collaboration, and how it will coordinate investment in research capability and infrastructure with like-minded countries.
From: Environmental Audit Committee, Sixth Report - The UK and the Arctic Environment (HC 1141), paragraph 215, 13 October 2023
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 28 December 2023 (deadline 13 December 2023).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government's response agrees with some recommendations, partially agrees with others, and disagrees with the proposals for an Arctic Envoy, an additional research ship, a dedicated coordinating body and a national Arctic research plan.
- On ministerial coordination, the government agrees and says it is "looking to build on this by establishing a Ministerial group" of Ministers whose portfolios concern the Arctic, which "would meet periodically".
- It disagrees with appointing an Arctic Envoy, saying responsibility "best sits with" the Minister for the Polar Regions in the FCDO, and disagrees with a strategic national Arctic research plan because it "would not add significant value".
- On research ships, it disagrees with an additional vessel, stating that total research time available for Arctic work in any given year is "likely to be 45–50 days" for the RRS Sir David Attenborough, and points to other NOC ships and partnerships with other countries.
- On fisheries, it agrees and is "committed to joining CAOFA at the earliest possible opportunity". On deep-sea mining it partially agrees, supporting a moratorium on exploitation licences at the ISA.