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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent representations she has received on the commercial collection of ragworm in Sites of Special Scientific Interest; and if she will make a statement.

Defra has received no recent representations on the commercial collection of rag worm in Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

As part of a SSSI notification Natural England provides a list of operations requiring Natural England's consent, which may include, for example, bait digging. None of the listed operations is permitted to be carried out without Natural England's prior written consent or the consent of another public body. Consent would only be given if the activity did not impact negatively on the designated feature of the SSSI.

Natural England has not recently received any notices for consent for bait digging (including specifically for rag worm collection).