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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of ensuring that access to the six to nautical nautical mile zone is preserved for British fishing vessels; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of foreign vessel access to that zone on local fishing communities.

We are committed to the long-term sustainability and prosperity of the UK fleet and work closely with the fishing industry and coastal communities to understand their concerns and the impacts of current fishing arrangements under the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA).

Under the TCA the UK grants access to 154 EU registered vessels to fish in the 6-12 nautical mile zone for England and Wales. A list of EU vessels with access to the UK 6-12 nautical mile zone is published by the UK Single Issuing Authority (UKSIA).