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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to approve the Sussex Near Shore Trawling Byelaw proposal approved by the Sussex Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority to restrict trawling close to the Sussex shore.

The Sussex Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (IFCA) Near Shore Trawling Byelaw has not yet come to Defra for consideration and therefore no decision has yet been taken as to whether to confirm the byelaw. It is currently going through the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) quality assurance process in accordance with statutory best practice guidance on IFCA byelaws and we understand that the MMO reverted to Sussex IFCA with comments in June. Once the byelaw has been submitted by the MMO to the Secretary of State for a decision as to confirmation, Defra will review the full byelaw package, including the results of the byelaw consultation, in accordance with the statutory guidance.