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

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, as part of the UK's future relationship with the EU, they will seek to continue participating in the North Sea multiannual plan.

UK fishing vessels will need to comply with the North Sea Multiannual Plan when fishing in EU waters, both while the UK is still within the EU and when fishing in EU waters in accordance with any agreement post exit. The UK Government will continue to have a strong interest in the overall status and effective long-term management of mixed demersal species and nephrops in the whole North Sea area. The science-based framework established under the Multiannual Plan will provide a valuable support to continued cooperation between the UK and the EU, where it will be important to find a shared basis to agree on sustainable rates of exploitation across all commercially important species. The exact basis for such cooperation is still to be determined.