Written question asked by Anna Gelderd (Labour) on Thursday, 18 June 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 22 June 2026. It was answered by Emma Hardy (Labour) on Thursday, 25 June 2026 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Marine Protected Areas

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she expects to publish further detail on the scope and purposes of the review of the marine protected area network.

Answer: We have committed in the Environment Improvement Plan to review England's Marine Protected Area network by the end of 2028. The scope of the review is to assess whether sites are in the right places with the right protections; how the network can be future-proofed to better support nature recovery and climate resilience and continue to meet our 30by30 commitment; whilst considering wider priorities including offshore wind development and fisheries. Over the last few months, we have engaged key stakeholder groups to discuss their priorities for the network and will continue to work openly with them during the review.

Secondary information