Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made and assessment of the potential merits of re-auditing seabed habitats in Marine Protected Areas.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is undertaking a review of the English Marine Protected Area network to look at whether sites are in the right places with the right protection. The review will explore ways to update protection and management approaches to better address the nature crisis and improve climate change resilience, while supporting wider Government priorities including food security and net zero. The review includes assessing sites that have been designated for seabed habitats.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
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 (a) conducted a review of the reliability of its data on seabed habitats in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) before announcing proposed fisheries management measures in Stage 3 MPAs, and (b) will publish the review’s conclusions.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Drawing on the best scientific advice available, the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) has determined that management of fishing activities is required to protect our Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and to ensure compliance with our domestic and international legal obligations.
As part of the consultation on proposed byelaws for stage 3 MPAs, fisheries assessments were published for each site based on scientific advice from Natural England and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee and using evidence on the impacts of fishing gears on protected seabed habitats. This was supplemented by a call for evidence earlier in the process.
The consultation closed on 29 September and the MMO is now analysing the very large number of responses received, including any additional evidence on benthic habitats.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if her department will conduct a full benthic audit of seabed habitats in the 41 Stage 3 Marine Protected Areas before designating new fisheries management measures.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Drawing on the best scientific advice available, the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) has determined that management of fishing activities is required to protect our Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and to ensure compliance with our domestic and international legal obligations.
As part of the consultation on proposed byelaws for stage 3 MPAs, fisheries assessments were published for each site based on scientific advice from Natural England and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee and using evidence on the impacts of fishing gears on protected seabed habitats. This was supplemented by a call for evidence earlier in the process.
The consultation closed on 29 September and the MMO is now analysing the very large number of responses received, including any additional evidence on benthic habitats.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the quota application mechanism pilot for 2025 that allocated 2800 tonnes of Western Mackerel, how much has been (a) caught, (b) landed in UK ports and (c) landed in ports outside the UK.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Landings for Western Mackerel allocated through the Quota Application Mechanism so far this year amount to 0.8t of the 3619.2 t allocated.
All 0.8t was landed into Castletown Bearhaven in the Republic of Ireland.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to announce his decision on bathing water designation; and for what reason this announcement has been delayed.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Shadow Minister (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The summary of responses and government response to the consultation on 27 proposed bathing water sites was published on GOV.UK on 13 May: Bathing waters: proposed designation of 27 new bathing waters in England - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). The newly designated sites will be added to the list of bathing waters with effect from the 2024 bathing season. Defra received 10,962 responses to the consultation on designating these sites, and ensured the confirmation of designations was made before the start of the bathing season, which begins on 15 May.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to his Department's press release entitled, Compensation scheme announced to support pollack fishers, published on 10 April 2024, whether his Department made an assessment of the potential (a) costs and (b) impact of setting the Pollack compensation scheme thresholds at different percentage levels.
Answered by Mark Spencer
The department made the required assessment ahead of the Ministerial Direction to evidence a range of options for consideration, which included costs. As part of the assessment, the department sought to balance supporting as many fishers who have been affected most by the zero Total Allowable Catch restrictions while bearing in mind the overall cost of the scheme.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 23 April 2024 to Question 22013 on White Fish: Fishing Catches, how he plans to fund the compensation scheme through his Department's existing budget; and whether his Department (a) has a budget surplus and (b) will make reduce expenditure to fund the scheme.
Answered by Mark Spencer
Funding for the compensation scheme will be found by examining current spending priorities to ensure efficient use of budgets. The Department does not have a budget surplus, so adjustments and optimisations will be made to accommodate the compensation scheme without requiring substantial reductions in expenditure elsewhere in the Department.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many vessels that mainly land catches in Plymouth are eligible for payments from the Pollack compensation scheme.
Answered by Mark Spencer
The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) has confirmed that there are 12 vessels that have Plymouth registered as their home port and are eligible for the compensation scheme. 8 of these have submitted their applications and received payment, totalling £62,480. Every application received has been paid within 24 hours.
MMO has contacted all eligible fishers via email and is calling those who have yet to apply. Fishers who believe they meet the requirements of this scheme but have not heard from MMO by Monday 29 April 2024 should contact MMO by sending an email to UKFisheriesSupport@marinemanagement.org.uk.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many vessels that mainly land catches in Brixham are eligible for payments from the Pollack compensation scheme.
Answered by Mark Spencer
MMO have confirmed that there are four vessels that have Brixham registered as their home port and are eligible for the compensation scheme. Three of these vessels have submitted their applications and received payment, totalling £14,030. Every application received has been paid within 24 hours.
MMO have contacted all eligible fishers via email and are calling those who have yet to apply. Fishers who believe they meet the requirements of this scheme but have not heard from MMO by Monday 29th April 2024 should contact MMO by sending an email to UKFisheriesSupport@marinemanagement.org.uk.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many vessels that mainly land catches in Newlyn are eligible for payments from the Pollack compensation scheme.
Answered by Mark Spencer
MMO have confirmed that there are 29 vessels that have Newlyn registered as their home port and are eligible for the compensation scheme. 21 of these have submitted their applications and received payment, totalling £256,405. Every application received has been paid within 24 hours.
MMO have contacted all eligible fishers via email and are calling those who have yet to apply. Fishers who believe they meet the requirements of this scheme but have not heard from MMO by Monday 29th April 2024 should contact MMO by sending an email to UKFisheriesSupport@marinemanagement.org.uk.