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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to publish the next phase of the consultation on restricting bottom trawling in offshore marine protected areas (MPAs); and whether he plans to include an option for bottom trawling to be banned across offshore MPAs on a whole site basis.

It is essential to manage bottom trawling in our Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) appropriately due to the significant damage it can have on protected seabed habitats. The department is considering next steps in the context of our domestic and international nature conservation obligations and how we support the fishing sector.