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

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to allow fishing to take place in highly protected marine areas.

Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs) would prohibit extractive, destructive and depositional uses and this would include all commercial and recreational fisheries. Defra’s 12-week consultation for five candidate HPMAs in English Waters closed in September. Defra officials are analysing all the responses to our consultation and will shortly publish a summary of these responses. Any pilot HPMAs will be designated by 6 July 2023. The Marine and Coastal Access Act states any designation order must be within a year of the consultation starting which is 6 July 2023.