Marine Protected Areas

(asked on 13th March 2024) - View Source

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Offshore Petroleum Licensing Bill on (a) Marine Protected Areas and (b) the Environment Act target for 70% of the designated features in the Marine Protected Area network to be in favourable condition by 2042.


Answered by
Graham Stuart Portrait
Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
This question was answered on 21st March 2024

The Offshore Petroleum Licensing Bill will not affect the UK's ability to reach targets for ensuring our Marine Protected Areas are in a good or recovering state.

Nor will it change the robust framework we have in place for licensing oil and gas that ensures this.

Licenses have only ever been awarded once the environmental regulator was satisfied that the activities will not negatively impact protected areas, and their impact is carefully managed by our expert regulators.

There is therefore no reason for the Bill to affect our Environment Act target for maintaining marine protected areas.

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