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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Icelandic counterpart on access to Icelandic waters for British fisherman as the UK becomes an independent coastal state.

Defra officials engage regularly with their Icelandic counterparts across a wide variety of policy issues. Recent discussions have focused on the UK’s application for membership of the North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC), fisheries management matters within the North-East Atlantic, and enhancing UK-Iceland cooperation through the recently signed Joint Vision for 2030. The UK’s fisheries relationship with Iceland is likely to evolve further as the UK goes forward as an independent coastal State.