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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what representations his Department has received from bodies supporting (a) hydraulic dredging and (b) hand-raking methods of cockle fishing; and if he will make a statement.

In the last 12 months Defra has received two emails from two different individuals regarding cockle fishing methods. The correspondents asked for confirmation that the use of hydraulic dredging for cockle fishing is legal and to express their support for hand-raking methods of cockle fishing. Officials responded to both individuals and advised them to contact the local Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (IFCA) which is responsible for managing the inshore area (1-6 nautical miles) around the English coast. Officials also made the local IFCA aware of both emails. In addition, I will be responding shortly to correspondence I have received expressing concerns on behalf of the commercial cockle fishermen from King's Lynn, Norfolk.