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Neil O'Brien MP

Conservative MP for Harborough, Oadby and Wigston

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Ocean Protection

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Oceans are currently facing unprecedented challenges, including climate change and over-fishing. It is more important than ever to take action to ensure our seas are healthy, abundant and resilient.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Defra have been closely involved in the negotiation of a new UN agreement on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction. I am aware that the UK is pressing for an ambitious agreement to be concluded in 2020. 

I am encouraged that the UK is on course to protect over half of its waters and I join Greenpeace in calling for the UK and other countries to work together towards a new global commitment for a UN high seas treaty. This would pave the way to protect at least 30 per cent of the world's ocean by 2030.

I am pleased that 41 new Marine Conservation Zones have recently been created. The UK now has 355 Marine Protected Areas of different types, spanning 220,000 square km. No new activities deemed damaging will be allowed to take place in these areas and existing harmful activities will be minimised or stopped to allow important habitats to recover. A review has now been launched into whether and how Highly Protected Marine Areas, the strongest form of marine protection, could be introduced in English seas.

The Government is working hard to reduce plastic pollution in the ocean and is leading global efforts to tackle the problem through support of the G7 Oceans Plastics Charter, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy and the Commonwealth Blue Charter. In April 2018, the UK launched the Commonwealth Clean Ocean Alliance alongside Vanuatu, encouraging its 25 member countries to take steps to eliminate avoidable single-use plastics.

Finally, the forthcoming International Ocean Strategy will set out plans to work with international partners to secure a sustainable, prosperous and secure ocean future.

Campaign Emails

  • ASRU Change Programme
  • Adult Social Care
  • Air Quality
  • Alcohol and Beer Duty
  • Animal Exports
  • Animal Testing
  • Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill
  • Animal Welfare Commitments
  • Animal Welfare
  • Arms Exports
  • Asylum accommodation conditions (Napier and Penally Barracks)
  • Australia Trade and ISDS
  • BT Strike
  • Baby Loss
  • Badgers and Bovine TB
  • Beer Duty
  • Bomb Disposal and Whales
  • CEE Bill
  • COP26: Global Ambition
  • Caged Farm Animals
  • Calories in Restaurants
  • Cash Availability and Acceptance
  • Cats in Kept Animals Bill
  • Channel 4
  • Child Poverty
  • Cladding, Leaseholders & The Fire Safety Bill
  • Conversion Therapy
  • Coronavirus: Provision of Tests
  • Coronavirus: Test and Trace
  • Crime Not Compliment campaign
  • Dangerous Dogs Act
  • Dementia Diagnosis and Research
  • Diabetes
  • Driven Grouse Shooting
  • Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act
  • Elections Act
  • Elephants and Ivory Sales
  • Endometriosis and PCOS
  • Energy Prices and Net Zero
  • Environment Bill: Ancient Woodland Standard
  • Flexible Working
  • Food Production Standards
  • Fox Hunting
  • Fuel Duty and Prices
  • Fuel Poverty
  • Funding of Fire Services
  • Gambling Regulation
  • Gamebird Battery Cages
  • Green Boilers
  • HIV
  • Hate Crime (Misogyny)
  • Health and Care Act: Workforce
  • Human Rights Defenders
  • Islamophobia
  • Kept Animals Bill
  • Kept Animals Bill
  • Meadows
  • Medical Cannabis
  • Motor Neurone Disease (MND)
  • Myanmar: Military Coup
  • Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe
  • Neonicotinoids
  • New Plan for Immigration and Nationality and Borders Bill
  • Ocean Protection
  • Oil Drilling & Cambo Oil Field
  • Operose and Centene
  • Overseas Operations Bill
  • PCSC Bill Part 3 (Protests)
  • PPE Contracts Judicial Reviews
  • Peat
  • Persecution of Christian Women
  • Plastic Pollution
  • Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill
  • Primates as Pets
  • Proportional Property Tax Proposal
  • Protection of Hedgerows
  • Protection of Retail Workers
  • Puppy Smuggling
  • Radiotherapy
  • SEND Funding
  • Scope Briefing on Disability
  • Settled Status
  • Sexual Harassment
  • Social Care Cap
  • Storm Overflows
  • Trophy Hunting
  • Uplands
  • VAT on Electric Vehicle Charging in Public Places
  • VAWG Worldwide
  • Vagrancy Act 1824
  • Visa-Free Work Permits for Creative Professionals
  • Waste and Recycling

Neil O'Brien MP for Harborough, Oadby and Wigston

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Promoted by A Douas on behalf of Neil O'Brien, both at 24 Nelson Street, Market Harborough, Leicestershire, LE16 9AY,
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