asked the Secretary of State for Industry what he estimates will be the effect of the international convention on the law of the sea on the deep sea mining legislation passed by European States.

The deep sea mining laws of the United Kingdom, the Federal Republic of Germany and France, as well as that of the USSR, are explicitly designed to be interim measures pending entry into force for the state concerned of an international convention on the law of the sea. If and when the convention enters into force for the United Kingdom, the Deep Sea Mining (Temporary Provisions) Act 1981 will be repealed, as provided in section 18 of that Act. The provisions of the convention would then supersede it.