Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what specific measures have been taken by the Government and Environment Agency to meet their stated objectives and responsibilities with regard to the leisure fishing industry, and what criteria with measurable indicators and outcomes have been set to determine the degree of current and future success in delivery.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Environment Agency (EA) has a duty to maintain, improve and develop fisheries for freshwater and diadromous fish. Income from angling rod licence sales is reinvested in work across the country including monitoring, enforcement, fish stocking, fish rescues, responding to incidents and providing fisheries advice. This work is partially funded by rod licence income. The EA reports annually on how rod licence income is used. The 2023 report can be found here (attached).

The Government recognised recreational sea fishing in the Fisheries Act 2020 (FA2020) enabling it to contribute to the Act’s objectives as required by the Joint Fisheries Statement (JFS). Recreational sea fishing is being integrated into Defra’s evidence-based Fisheries Management Plans, which set out how the JFS objectives will be delivered. Progress towards the JFS will be assessed and reported every six years, in-line with section 3 of the FA2020.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the normal turnaround time between (1) receiving an application for a licence to shoot avian predators, and (2) notification of decision; and what are the principal reasons for refusal to approve licence applications.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only.

Natural England aims to assess individual licences within 30 working days.

Most licences are renewals. These have a streamlined application process and light touch reassessment process, whereby licensees indicate that they want to renew their licence when they submit their licensing report at the end of the licence period.

To shoot avian predators to prevent serious damage to fisheries or inland waters, specific legislative and policy tests relevant to the species and purpose must be satisfied for a licence to be granted.

For cormorant licensing:

• Serious damage is being, or is likely to be, caused by cormorants at the site.
• Non-lethal anti-predation measures have either been tried and found to be ineffective or are impracticable
• Shooting will reduce or prevent increasing levels of damage

For herons, mergansers and goosanders:

• All other reasonable non-lethal solutions have been tried and/or shown to be ineffective

• There is a genuine problem/need
• There is no satisfactory alternatives
• The licensed action will be effective at resolving the problem and is proportionate to the problem

If any one test cannot be satisfied, this will be the basis for refusing a licence application.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government how DEFRA, Natural England and the Environment Agency jointly assess the balance in limiting population densities between (1) non-at-risk avian predators, and (2) Atlantic salmon, on the principal salmon rivers.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

This is a devolved matter and the information provided relates to England only.

Salmon populations in England’s rivers are generally declining, with many detrimental factors suppressing recovery. Defra is a member of the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation, working with international counterparts to conserve and restore Atlantic salmon, including measures to mitigate avian predation.

All wild birds are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, including avian predators, regardless of their population or conservation status.

The Government does not aim to limit or reduce the population of any native wild bird. If evidence shows that species such as cormorant, heron or goosander are having a serious impact on fisheries or salmon, a licence can be issued.

Natural England (NE) sets evidence-based limits on the number of cormorants licensed to be killed each year to prevent irreversibly affecting their conservation status. Scarecer breeding species, including goosander, are considered on a case-by-case basis.

Licences issued by NE target specific locations when migrating salmon are most vulnerable, like during the smolt run, to improve the effect of protecting fisheries.

The Environment Agency funds two fisheries management advisors within the Angling Trust who provide bespoke advice to fisheries seeking predator control licences.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many licences to shoot avian predators were issued in total in each of the past 5 years, broken down by species and catchments or rivers; and how this compares with the number of applications.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The number of licence applications received to shoot avian predators over the last five years is set out in the table below:

*Due to licences being issued across an 8 month season which straddles years, more licences can be issued than received given any one year.

River and catchment data cannot be prepared within the timescale for response.

The number of licences issued to shoot avian predators in each of the past five years, broken down by species, is set out below:

This data has been taken from the Transparency data published by Natural England located here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/summary-of-wildlife-licences-issued-by-natural-england-in-2023

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many collective proceedings applications were filed with the Competition Appeal Tribunal, broken down by opt-out and opt-in proceedings, in each month since July 2023.

Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The following numbers of collective proceedings applications, broken down by opt-in and opt-out proceedings, have been filed with the Competition Appeal Tribunal in each month since July 2023:

Found: principle, the only unrepresented petitioner who has sought to challenge our provisional view is Lord Carlile of Berriew

Found: LORD CARLILE OF BERRIEW: Thank you, Lord Chairman.

Found: Holocaust Memorial Bill Select Committee Amended Petition of Lord Carlile of Berriew CBE KC 1.

Found: 29 Submissions by Lord Carlile of Berriew 29 Submissions by Mr Katkowski KC 36 Decision

Found: Committee, that the following petitioners have the right to be heard on their petition s: - Lord Carlile of Berriew

Found: PETITIONS Reference Document Date of publication HMB -001 Lord Carlile of Berriew 23 May 2024

Found: the Thorney Island Society; the Thomas Fowell Buxton Society and Buxton family members; Lord Carlile of Berriew

Found: Opening Statement by Mr Katkowski KC 3 Lord Inglewood 8 Submissions by Mr McCracken KC 8 Lord Carlile of Berriew

Found: Clause 31 BARONESS HAMWEE LORD CARLILE OF BERRIEW 37A_ Leave out Clause 31, insert the following new

Found: including 4 February 2025 [Amendments marked ★ are new or have been altered] After Clause 2 LORD CARLILE OF BERRIEW

Found: Clause 31 BARONESS HAMWEE LORD CARLILE OF BERRIEW 37A★_ Leave out Clause 31, insert the following

Found: Clause 31 BARONESS HAMWEE LORD CARLILE OF BERRIEW 37A★_ Leave out Clause 31, insert the following

Found: Members Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville Lord Goodman of Wycombe Lord Carlile of Berriew

Found: Baroness Finlay of Llandaff 12 Baroness Deech and Holocaust survivors 12 Lord Sassoon 13 Lord Carlile of Berriew

Found: Members Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville Lord Goodman of Wycombe Lord Carlile of Berriew

Found: Flint Minister of State 2 Marsham Street London SW1P 4DF www.gov.uk/home-office Lord Carlile of Berriew

Found: Members Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville Lord Goodman of Wycombe Lord Carlile of Berriew

Found: Members Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville Lord Goodman of Wycombe Lord Carlile of Berriew Baroness

Found: Members Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville Lord Goodman of Wycombe Lord Carlile of Berriew

Found: Members Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville Lord Goodman of Wycombe Lord Carlile of Berriew

Found: Members Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville Lord Goodman of Wycombe Lord Carlile of Berriew

Found: Members Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville Lord Goodman of Wycombe Lord Carlile of Berriew

Found: Members Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville Lord Goodman of Wycombe Lord Carlile of Berriew

Found: Members Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville Lord Goodman of Wycombe Lord Carlile of Berriew

Found: Letter dated 17/01/2025 from Lord Hanson of Flint to Lord Carlile of Berriew regarding points raised