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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she was first made aware of the intention of the Marine Management Organisation to close the fisheries of (a) rays and skate and (b) plaice to under 10 metre boats.

The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Farming, Food and Marine Environment was informed of the closure of the skate and ray fishery in areas VI and VII (excluding area VIId) on 17 October 2014. The closure of the North Sea skates and rays and English Channel plaice fisheries to under 10 metre boats was notified to the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Farming, Food and the Marine environment on 27 October 2014.