Asked by: Anna Gelderd (Labour - South East Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department has taken to help position the UK as a global leader in blue finance.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK has built its position as a leader in blue finance through policy engagement and our Official Development Assistance (ODA) programmes. Through our portfolio of marine ODA programmes, Defra and FCDO work with a range of partners, including the UN, Multi-lateral Development Banks, not-for-profit partnerships and the private sector, to pilot and implement blue finance solutions that support sustainable blue economies.
The UK is committed to delivering a Sustainable Ocean Plan by 2027 as part of its active membership of the leader level High-Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy. Placing nature, economic growth, and food security at its core, the Sustainable Ocean Plan will provide clear guidance for public and private sector decision-makers on how the UK can achieve 100% sustainable management of our seas and oceans.
Asked by: Anna Gelderd (Labour - South East Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to (a) consult on and (b) develop a Sustainable Blue Economy Strategy.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK has built its position as a leader in blue finance through policy engagement and our Official Development Assistance (ODA) programmes. Through our portfolio of marine ODA programmes, Defra and FCDO work with a range of partners, including the UN, Multi-lateral Development Banks, not-for-profit partnerships and the private sector, to pilot and implement blue finance solutions that support sustainable blue economies.
The UK is committed to delivering a Sustainable Ocean Plan by 2027 as part of its active membership of the leader level High-Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy. Placing nature, economic growth, and food security at its core, the Sustainable Ocean Plan will provide clear guidance for public and private sector decision-makers on how the UK can achieve 100% sustainable management of our seas and oceans.
Asked by: Anna Gelderd (Labour - South East Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many at-sea boarding inspections of (a) UK and (b) EU flagged fishing vessels took place outside of six nautical miles in each year between 2015 and 2025.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As fisheries control and enforcement is a devolved matter, each Devolved Administration is responsible for conducting inspections on vessels in their respective waters. Although the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) does not routinely publish specifics on inspections, the MMO annual reports which are published on gov.uk provide certain figures, for example during 2023/24 financial year, 37% of inspections at sea were conducted on non-UK vessels and 63% conducted within the UK domestic fleet. Information on the number of inspections carried out by Scottish, Welsh or Northern Irish authorities in waters they are responsible for can be requested from the relevant devolved Government.
Asked by: Anna Gelderd (Labour - South East Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department is taking steps to distribute the fishing quota in a way that incentivises (a) lower impact and (b) selective fishing.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As set out in response to PQ 83899, there are a number of mechanisms in place to incentivise lower impact and selective fishing. In terms of quota distribution, in England we have been running a trial since 2024 called the Quota Application Mechanism (QAM), which allocates quota based on environmental, social and economic criteria. The mechanism uses a gear ranking system developed by scientists to support the allocation of quota to those that have the least impact on the seabed and the highest selectivity. Details on the QAM application process for 2026, including the application form and gear ranking system, can be found online here.
As set out in Annex D of the UK Quota Management Rules we also allocate quota specifically to certain groups. In England we target western mackerel for the South West handline fishery.
Asked by: Anna Gelderd (Labour - South East Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the cost to the public purse was of fisheries patrol operations in English waters in each year since 2020.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Fisheries patrol operations in English waters are undertaken by the Marine Management Organisation utilising two leased patrol vessels. The cost of these vessels is detailed in MMO's annual reports as follows:
Year | 2020/21 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 | 2025/26* |
Vessel Costs | 6,735,829 | 6,836,401 | 6,501,914 | 6,282,640 | 6,489,608 | 3,487,538 |
Asked by: Anna Gelderd (Labour - South East Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many investigations were commenced by her Department of English-registered fishing vessels over ten metres in length for fishing outside six nautical miles of UK waters in each year since 2020; and how many and what proportion of those investigations resulted in (a) charges being brought and (b) successful prosecutions.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Marine Management Organisation (MMO) does not publish investigations, only prosecutions. The table below lists all cases where charges were brought resulting in successful MMO prosecutions in court of UK 10m and over vessels which resulted from inspections at sea outside of 6 nautical miles from baselines (there were no unsuccessful prosecutions).
| UK Vessels |
2020 | 0 |
2021 | 1 |
2022 | 0 |
2023 | 0 |
2024 | 1 |
2025 to date | 2 |
Asked by: Anna Gelderd (Labour - South East Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of tropical forest protection on the stability of UK food supply chains.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Tropical forests provide a range of ecosystem services which affect agricultural production. Their protection and restoration can therefore play a vital role in supporting global food supply stability.
The Government is taking robust action to boost UK food security, turn the tide of nature’s decline, and prepare for the impacts of climate change and nature loss. This includes investing in nature protection and restoration both domestically and internationally, and delivering £11.6 billion in International Climate Finance by the end of 25/26 as part of our Plan for Change. The Government is also considering its approach to addressing global deforestation linked to UK supply chains and will set out its approach in due course.
Asked by: Anna Gelderd (Labour - South East Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many tonnes of fish were caught in English waters by EU-registered fishing vessels in each year since 2020.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Table 1. Annual live weight (tonnes) landed from English waters by EU-registered fishing vessels from 2020 to 2023.
2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
210,000 | 160,000 | 120,000 | 150,000 |
Asked by: Anna Gelderd (Labour - South East Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the total value of landings was from fly-seine fishing operations in English waters by (a) EU-registered and (b) English-registered fly-seine vessels for each year since 2015.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Table 2. Annual value (GBP) landed from fly-seine fishing operations in English waters by EU-registered and English-registered fly-seine vessels from 2015 to 2023.
Vessel Registration | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
EU | 9,400,000 | 12,200,000 | 15,500,000 | 15,400,000 | 14,700,000 | 12,800,000 | 12,700,000 | 15,900,000 | 16,900,000 |
England | 2,800,000 | 3,100,000 | 2,400,000 | 1,500,000 | 3,000,000 | 3,100,000 | 3,800,000 | 8,900,000 | 10,400,000 |
Asked by: Anna Gelderd (Labour - South East Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has (a) direct and (b) real time access to systems that monitor EU-registered fishing vessels that are fishing in English waters.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Fishing activity in English waters is monitored by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO). MMO receives positional data and electronic logbook (elog) catch data for all foreign fishing vessels of 12 metres or more in length. Data from these vessels is received with the same frequency as for UK vessels. Live positional data is required to be transmitted at least once every two hours and electronic logbook data is required to be submitted at least once per day whilst at sea. Once transmitted, data is automatically forwarded to the UK by the relevant fisheries authority and is received by MMO in close to real-time.