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

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer from Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park on 22 February (HL6071), what further information they have gathered in relation to ecological problems off the coasts of Yorkshire and North-East England; and what plans they have for further studies and actions relating to any such problems.

We are aware there have been some localised reductions in catch rates and we are continuing to monitor shellfish populations in the area. This is a complex scientific issue, which is why we took a thorough, evidence-based approach. We will continue to work with academic researchers.