Defra is legislating to update UK illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing import documentation requirements that apply to wild-caught seafood entering the UK. These new requirements will make additional data available to port health authorities to strengthen traceability and verify that imported seafood is caught in line with UK IUU controls and international best practice. This Government is also considering a new IUU Imports Service for the submission and management of IUU import documentation as wider Sanitary and Phytosanitary arrangements change.

The principal legislation applicable, as amended, to the planning and construction of ports includes:

• the Planning Act 2008;

• development consent orders under the 2008 Act;

• the Harbours Act 1964;

• harbour revision and empowerment orders under the 1964 Act;

• various private Acts that apply to individual ports;

• the Town and Country Planning Act 1990;

• the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009;

• the Transport and Works Act 1992, the Highways Act 1980 and/or various railways legislation, where relevant to connecting infrastructure;

• the General Permitted Development Order; and

• a range of safety, security, building and environmental regulations.

The National Policy Statement for Ports, a revised version of which is currently before the House, explains the relevance of various enactments and regulations in context.

Up to £1,000,000 from the Cabinet Office Integrated Security Fund will be managed by Defra in financial year 2027-2028, to deliver an integrated biosecurity communications campaign at borders. Work is taking place during this financial year (2026-2027) to gather insights and develop the campaign plan.

The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) consulted last year on fisheries byelaws to restrict bottom trawling in a further 41 Marine Protected Areas. These proposals are substantial, covering 30,000 square kilometres or 13% of English waters and we must ensure we get them right. The MMO is carefully considering the very large number of responses received to the consultation, and decisions will be made in due course.

Internationally, we remain a leading advocate for ambitious ocean action. We continue to share the lessons we are learning from our UK experience through our membership of key alliances, whilst our scientific expertise, international finance and technical assistance continues to deliver real impact globally.

The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) consulted last year on fisheries byelaws to restrict bottom trawling in a further 41 Marine Protected Areas. These proposals are substantial, covering 30,000 square kilometres or 13% of English waters and we must ensure we get them right. The MMO is carefully considering the very large number of responses received to the consultation, and decisions will be made in due course.

Internationally, we remain a leading advocate for ambitious ocean action. We continue to share the lessons we are learning from our UK experience through our membership of key alliances, whilst our scientific expertise, international finance and technical assistance continues to deliver real impact globally.

This Government engages closely with businesses across the steel supply chain and will actively monitor implementation of the steel trade measure to ensure it operates as intended and remains responsible to emerging evidence and stakeholder feedback. To date, the department has not been informed that any delays at UK ports are attributed to the introduction of this measure.

We will continue engaging regularly across the supply chain, while working closely with HMRC to ensure effective the implementation and enforcement of the measure.

The Government has committed to reviewing the measure after 12 months to ensure it remains effective and proportionate.

The multimodal UK freight and logistics sector delivers reliable, resilient and efficient movement of goods to support UK business and the consumer. The government recognised the importance of the sector in our Industrial Strategy (2025). We have recently committed £27 billion through the third Road Investment Strategy (2026-2031), including enhancements to the A66 between Penrith and Scotch Corner benefiting east-west freight across the Pennines, including from North and Irish Sea ports, and the Lower Thames Crossing which will improve journey reliability for freight arriving from the EU, including goods using the “land bridge” to Northern Ireland.

On rail the TransPennine Route Upgrade and East West Rail will bring significant freight efficiency benefits and the Railways Bill includes a duty on Great British Railways, ministers and the Office of Road and Rail to promote rail freight. The draft National Planning Policy Framework (published Dec 2025) requires local planning authorities to give “substantial weight” to the economic benefits of proposals for development where this would support improvements in freight and logistics. At a more granular level we are working with the Kent and Medway Resilience Forum to maintain efficient freight flows via the Short Straits through the development of plans to manage the introduction of new import controls and the implementation of EES at the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel.

The Home Office and UK Law Enforcement, particularly Border Force and the National Crime Agency, delivers a significant amount of operational activity to detect and seize illicit drugs being trafficked to the UK and to secure our border. We do not routinely comment on operational deployments or operations.

The Entry/Exit System (EES) is an EU scheme, and its implementation is a matter for the EU and its member states.

In August 2024, the UK Government provided £3.5 million to the three locations with juxtaposed French border controls - the Port of Dover, Eurotunnel at Folkestone and St Pancras International - for additional kiosks and infrastructure to support EES registrations and help keep waiting times to a minimum.

The Government is working closely with the European Commission, member states, local authorities and the travel industry to prepare for EES and to promote flexible solutions for UK travellers. We continue to encourage the maximum use of flexibilities available within legislation to minimise delays. This includes supporting carriers and ports where French border control checks take place before departure from the UK, and engaging the European Commission and member states to encourage a pragmatic approach.

A cross government communications group supports industry in communicating about EES to their customers. This includes providing industry with a toolkit of information and materials to use on their channels. As part of this public awareness campaign running since September 2025, EES messaging has also been shared across government social media channels targeting the British travelling public and through the media. GOV.UK pages also provide information to the public ahead of their journeys.

The Home Office engages regularly with port operators, shipping companies and wider transport partners to support the security of the UK’s borders and supply chains, including to prevent drug trafficking and the facilitation of illegal migration. This includes ongoing engagement with industry to strengthen security practices, improve information sharing, and support collaboration with law enforcement and international partners.

Carriers also have an important role to play in protecting the integrity of the border. Through measures such as the Authority to Carry scheme, the Government works with carriers to prevent individuals who may pose an immigration or security risk from travelling to the UK.

The Government keeps its approach to tackling organised criminality in ports, logistics networks and transport routes under review. We work closely with operational partners and international counterparts to monitor threats, including the risk of organised criminal infiltration and the exploitation of services by organised crime groups, and to disrupt illicit activity through intelligence sharing and joint working.

The Home Office engages regularly with port operators, shipping companies and wider transport partners to support the security of the UK’s borders and supply chains, including to prevent drug trafficking and the facilitation of illegal migration. This includes ongoing engagement with industry to strengthen security practices, improve information sharing, and support collaboration with law enforcement and international partners.

Carriers also have an important role to play in protecting the integrity of the border. Through measures such as the Authority to Carry scheme, the Government works with carriers to prevent individuals who may pose an immigration or security risk from travelling to the UK.

The Government keeps its approach to tackling organised criminality in ports, logistics networks and transport routes under review. We work closely with operational partners and international counterparts to monitor threats, including the risk of organised criminal infiltration and the exploitation of services by organised crime groups, and to disrupt illicit activity through intelligence sharing and joint working.

The Government does not maintain, and does not plan to publish, a single consolidated list of all applicable legislative and statutory requirements. Doing so would be disproportionate and would duplicate information already available through legislation.gov.uk.

Ports are essential to economic growth for the United Kingdom as a trading nation, over 85% of whose international trade moves by sea. They are instrumental in promoting the skills necessary for modern logistics, with support from the sector's Port Skills & Safety body. They generate and sustain employment directly and indirectly, on-port and in their hinterland, with a high proportion of workers resident in coastal communities.