To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many and what proportion of commercial fish stocks have catch limits set (a) at and (b) below levels recommended by scientific advice.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many and what proportion of commercial fish stocks have catch limits set (a) at and (b) below levels recommended by scientific advice.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she is taking steps to ensure that all commercial fish stocks have catch limits that do not exceed scientific advice.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she is taking steps to ensure that all commercial fish stocks have catch limits that do not exceed scientific advice.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his planned timeframe is for making a decision on increasing the minimum landing size of Fal oysters.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his planned timeframe is for making a decision on increasing the minimum landing size of Fal oysters.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to minimum catch sizes for crawfish, if her Department will extend the inshore 110mm landing size to outside the six mile limit.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to minimum catch sizes for crawfish, if her Department will extend the inshore 110mm landing size to outside the six mile limit.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government is committed to not setting catch limits for any stocks in excess of scientific advice given by the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) in its fishing negotiations with the EU, Norway...

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government is committed to not setting catch limits for any stocks in excess of scientific advice given by the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) in its fishing negotiations with the EU, Norway...

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy not to set catch limits for any stocks that are higher than those recommended by scientific advice in fisheries negotiations with the EU, Norway and North East Atlantic coastal states in...

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy not to set catch limits for any stocks that are higher than those recommended by scientific advice in fisheries negotiations with the EU, Norway and North East Atlantic coastal states in...

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to upcoming fisheries negotiations with the EU, Norway and north eastern Atlantic coastal states, if the Government will make it its policy not to set catch limits for any stocks in excess of scientific advice.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to upcoming fisheries negotiations with the EU, Norway and north eastern Atlantic coastal states, if the Government will make it its policy not to set catch limits for any stocks in excess of scientific advice.

What steps he is taking to ensure a greater share of the UK-EU catch limits for the UK fleet in 2023.

What steps he is taking to ensure a greater share of the UK-EU catch limits for the UK fleet in 2023.

We have seen uplifts in quota share across the UK, with an increase of approximately 15% already. It will continue to increase year on year until 2026. My hon. Friend will be pleased to know that there have been some particularly significant uplifts for the pelagic sector.

We have seen uplifts in quota share across the UK, with an increase of approximately 15% already. It will continue to increase year on year until 2026. My hon. Friend will be pleased to know that there have been some particularly significant uplifts for the pelagic sector.

I look forward to continuing to work with the Minister to deliver the best future for Scottish fishermen as we move forward outside the common fisheries policy. Could she provide an estimate of how much the Scottish fishing industry has benefited in 2021 from being outside the CFP and particularly from negotiating as an independent coastal state for the first time?

I look forward to continuing to work with the Minister to deliver the best future for Scottish fishermen as we move forward outside the common fisheries policy. Could she provide an estimate of how much the Scottish fishing industry has benefited in 2021 from being outside the CFP and particularly from negotiating as an independent coastal state for the first time?

My hon. Friend, a great champion for the industry, will know that Scotland has so far been allocated 36,000 of the 60,000 tonnes of additional UK quota. The Scottish industry is also benefiting from additional white fish quota and from the ability to undertake quota swaps.

My hon. Friend, a great champion for the industry, will know that Scotland has so far been allocated 36,000 of the 60,000 tonnes of additional UK quota. The Scottish industry is also benefiting from additional white fish quota and from the ability to undertake quota swaps.

More data may help in the negotiations, but data is no justification for the much-loathed catch app that the Government are imposing, which requires fishermen to guess the weight of their fish before they land them. When I was with Essex fishers in the estuary earlier in the week, they told me just how difficult that is.

I am not going to slap a dead fish on the Dispatch Box, Mr Speaker, because that would not meet with your approval, but I do have a copy of Tuesday’s Hansard, so I wonder whether the Minister can guess its weight. If she is not within 10%, will that make her a criminal? That is what the new rules will do to England’s fishers from the end of next month.

More data may help in the negotiations, but data is no justification for the much-loathed catch app that the Government are imposing, which requires fishermen to guess the weight of their fish before they land them. When I was with Essex fishers in the estuary earlier in the week, they told me just how difficult that is.

I am not going to slap a dead fish on the Dispatch Box, Mr Speaker, because that would not meet with your approval, but I do have a copy of Tuesday’s Hansard, so I wonder whether the Minister can guess its weight. If she is not within 10%, will that make her a criminal? That is what the new rules will do to England’s fishers from the end of next month.

The hon. Gentleman knows that as a cook I am quite keen on guessing the weight of things, but I confess myself totally unable to guess the weight of Hansard without touching it.

In answer to the hon. Gentleman’s serious question, we will continue to work with the fishing industry on the best way to make sure we have the data that we need—as I think he would agree—to assess the future sustainability of stocks.

The hon. Gentleman knows that as a cook I am quite keen on guessing the weight of things, but I confess myself totally unable to guess the weight of Hansard without touching it.

In answer to the hon. Gentleman’s serious question, we will continue to work with the fishing industry on the best way to make sure we have the data that we need—as I think he would agree—to assess the future sustainability of stocks.

My Lords, I shall start by setting out the context of why we are making this amendment, which is purely technical, now. We are seeking to change the Adjacent Waters Boundaries (Northern Ireland) Order 2002 to accurately reflect the southern boundary of the Northern Ireland zone. The legislation was not...

My Lords, I shall start by setting out the context of why we are making this amendment, which is purely technical, now. We are seeking to change the Adjacent Waters Boundaries (Northern Ireland) Order 2002 to accurately reflect the southern boundary of the Northern Ireland zone. The legislation was not...

My Lords, I thank the Minister for his explanation of these regulations. As he said, they are purely technical.

In that regard, I welcome the noble Lord, Lord Murphy; as a former Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, he will be well aware of the southern boundary in Northern Ireland, in...

My Lords, I thank the Minister for his explanation of these regulations. As he said, they are purely technical.

In that regard, I welcome the noble Lord, Lord Murphy; as a former Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, he will be well aware of the southern boundary in Northern Ireland, in...

My Lords, it was an extremely useful contribution by the noble Baroness, Lady Ritchie, because of her enormous local knowledge and, of course, her experience as Member of Parliament for South Down, covering Carlingford Lough, and dealing with former constituents who are fishers there.

The Opposition will not oppose this order,...

My Lords, it was an extremely useful contribution by the noble Baroness, Lady Ritchie, because of her enormous local knowledge and, of course, her experience as Member of Parliament for South Down, covering Carlingford Lough, and dealing with former constituents who are fishers there.

The Opposition will not oppose this order,...

In this particularly short debate, I want to thank the noble Baroness, Lady Ritchie, and the noble Lord, Lord Murphy, for their general support for the order. I am perhaps not so surprised, because it is uncontroversial, as both of them will know.

I was pleased to listen carefully to the...

In this particularly short debate, I want to thank the noble Baroness, Lady Ritchie, and the noble Lord, Lord Murphy, for their general support for the order. I am perhaps not so surprised, because it is uncontroversial, as both of them will know.

I was pleased to listen carefully to the...

Lords motion to consider. Agreed to on question.

Lords motion to consider. Agreed to on question.

Motion to consider. Agreed to on question.

Motion to consider. Agreed to on question.