Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Independent - Canterbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps is her department taking to tackle the potential impact of the Yellow Legged Hornet on pollinators in Canterbury in wider Kent.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra remains committed to taking action against Yellow-Legged Hornets (YLHs) in England in 2026 and the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s National Bee Unit (NBU) stand ready to respond to reported sightings. The NBU will follow up credible reports of YLHs to find and destroy nests.
Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Independent - Canterbury)
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 is taking to raise public awareness of potential impact Yellow Legged Hornets on pollinators.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra continues to share the message about the threat of Yellow Legged Hornets (YLHs) to pollinators including honey bees and encourages the public to report suspected sightings. The Department uses a range of communication channels to inform beekeepers and the wider public.
The Non-Native Species Secretariat (NNSS) works with over 50 local actions groups and a wide range of other organisations to raise awareness of YLH and has distributed over 48,000 Yellow-Legged Hornet awareness raising materials since January 2026.
Invasive Species Week is an annual event to raise awareness of invasive non-native species and how everyone can help to reduce their impacts. This year it will take place from 22 to 28 June 2026. Tuesday 23 June will focus on recording and volunteering and will include events highlighting work on YLH.
Additional media opportunities for awareness raising will be used as they arise.
As part of the wider work to support pollinators, Defra has committed to delivering a refreshed Pollinator Action Plan, as part of the broader Environmental Improvement Plan. This will set out key actions for pollinators in England.
Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Independent - Canterbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure full and transparent consultation with the under 14m fishing fleet before mandating Remote Electronic Monitoring as a licence condition.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) in English waters is in the early stages of development, concentrating on vessels over 10 metres in length. Until 2030, we will be working with volunteers in our early adopter phases to design and test systems. We will continue to work in collaboration with industry and individual members throughout this period, ensuring their views are represented.
Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Independent - Canterbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for his policies of levels of illegal shellfish harvesting in (a) English coastal waters and (b) Whitstable.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra works closely with the Marine Management Organisation (MMO), Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities (IFCAs), and other organisations to make sure the appropriate arrangements to enforce fisheries regulations are in place. Given the multijurisdictional nature of shellfish harvesting, particularly in areas such as Whitstable, a coordinated approach is essential. In this region, the MMO, the local IFCA, Environmental Health officers, and the police work jointly to monitor shellfish harvesting activities. Where necessary, enforcement action is taken to uphold regulatory standards and protect marine resources.
Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Independent - Canterbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle illegal shellfish harvesting in English coastal waters.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra works closely with the Marine Management Organisation (MMO), Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities (IFCAs), and other organisations to make sure the appropriate arrangements to enforce fisheries regulations are in place. Given the multijurisdictional nature of shellfish harvesting, particularly in areas such as Whitstable, a coordinated approach is essential. In this region, the MMO, the local IFCA, Environmental Health officers, and the police work jointly to monitor shellfish harvesting activities. Where necessary, enforcement action is taken to uphold regulatory standards and protect marine resources.
Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Independent - Canterbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure inshore fishing voices are equitably represented in Fisheries Management Plans and Marine Spatial Planning Decisions.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Inshore voices are considered across all fisheries management through support from regional fisheries groups, the Marine Management Organisation’s network of regional fisheries managers, meetings of Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities and other routine engagement.
Marine plans should be used to guide decision makers on how to balance different interests in the sea, including fisheries. National policy statements also set out how marine activities should be considered.
Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Independent - Canterbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to review conflict of interest rules within the IFCA framework to ensure the industry appointed members can meaningfully contribute to decisions whilst maintaining transparency.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The statutory report on the IFCA conduct and operations was published in February along with the Government response. Ensuring transparency in decision making processes was a key improvement. Defra are working with IFCAs to action recommendations. In particular developing consistent guidance supporting industry members will develop including avoiding conflicts of interest.
Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Independent - Canterbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support the (a) sustainability and (b) economic resilience of small-scale shellfish fisheries post-Brexit.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Fisheries Act 2020 enshrines in law the Government’s commitment to sustainable fishing, including to produce Fishery Management Plans (FMPs) to ensure our stocks are being fished sustainably and the marine environment is protected.
Through FMPs we are working to further develop and implement effective, evidence-based management to deliver long-term sustainability of our important shellfish fisheries.
Once the new partnership with the EU is implemented, we expect the SPS Agreement will allow exports of undepurated Class B live bivalve molluscs from GB to the EU to resume.
Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Independent - Canterbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of forthcoming legislation relating to IVMS licensing on small-scale shellfish fisheries.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
All English under 12 metre fishing vessels have been required to have a functioning iVMS system on board since 12 May 2025. iVMS provides vessel level data on position, course, and speed for under12 m English fishing vessels including those involved in small-scale shellfish fisheries. This information will be used to support decisions on fisheries management planning, conservation efforts, statistical and scientific analysis, compliance, and law enforcement.
Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Independent - Canterbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will conduct a review of Southern Water’s stakeholder engagement with local fisheries on (a) pollution and discharge events and (b) development in Thames Estuary.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is putting customers at the heart of the water system. While stakeholder engagement is a matter for individual water companies, customers will be able to hold water company bosses to account through powerful new customer panels that are being developed. Ministers have met with all company boards to ensure they understand the Government’s drive to transform the water sector and to hear how they plan to meet their obligations to customers and the environment.