Asked by: Lord Randall of Uxbridge (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much money they have given to each of the UK's Overseas Territories in the Caribbean to treat stony coral tissue loss disease in the last two years.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The UK Government has been working very closely with our Overseas Territories (OTs) in the Caribbean in response to Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD), including a Collaborative Coral Reef Working Group which has supported local and regional collaboration between Caribbean OTs. The following funding has been provided to each of the UK OTs in the Caribbean for the treatment and management of SCTLD:
Over 2020-2022, £208,608 was provided to the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI): £108,608 for disease treatment and £100,000 to pilot a collaborative working group with the Caribbean OTs. The collaborative working group includes training and equipment provisions within UK OTs for SCTLD.
In 2020/2021, the British Virgin Islands (BVI) received £75,000 for SCTLD via the Conflict, Stability and Security (CSSF) Fund.
In 2021/2022, the UK Government provided further funding across the OTs for coral reef monitoring and SCTLD management. This included £102,000 to the TCI, the BVI, and the Cayman Islands, £92,000 to Anguilla, and £91,000 to Montserrat.
Asked by: Lord Randall of Uxbridge (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with non-governmental organisations working in the UK's Overseas Territories about the treatment of stony coral tissue loss disease.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The UK Government has been working closely with our Overseas Territories (OTs) in the Caribbean in response to Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD).
In 2020/2021, the UK Government provided £100,000 to pilot a collaborative working group with the Caribbean OTs. This group actively welcomes input from OT government representatives, non-governmental organisation (NGOs) and other key stakeholders such as dive operators and field study centres involved in coral conservation and SCTLD treatment. This group has met at least once a month since December 2020 to discuss all aspects of SCTLD, including treatment and management options.
The funding of this group is now secured through a three year £497,000 Darwin Plus grant that started in June 2021 and ends in March 2024. Direct funding through this grant is provided to OT government partners, including NGOs, who are directly supporting the treatment efforts in-country. Notably, for this Darwin Plus grant, the Department of the Environment and Coastal Resources in the Turks and Caicos Islands are funding the Turks and Caicos Reef Fund, and the Ministry of Natural Resources in the British Virgin Islands (BVI) are partnering with the National Parks Trust of the Virgin Islands.
Over the last two years, through the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund, the UK Government has also funded NGOs to deliver work on behalf of, or alongside governments, to implement SCTLD treatment. This has included discussions on treatment. Agreements have been put in place to formalise these arrangements following discussions with OT government departments in Bermuda, BVI and Montserrat.
Asked by: Lord Randall of Uxbridge (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of English vessel fishing activity is currently monitored at sea either with (1) human observers, or (2) Remote Electronic Monitoring.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Each UK administration independently runs a scientific at-sea observer programme which typically covers around 1% of total fishing activity.
There is currently one English registered vessel with Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) taking part in a pilot trial for testing traceability; three vessels with REM equipment taking part in a scientific programme to collect catch composition data; and four vessels using REM for data collection focused on elasmobranch species which includes sharks, rays and skates.
Human observations take place as part of the fisheries data collection framework.
Asked by: Lord Randall of Uxbridge (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether their Joint Fisheries Statement will commit to evidence-based fisheries management; and whether they will consultt on the correct (1) scale, and (2) use, of Remote Electronic Monitoring in English fisheries.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Joint Fisheries Statement (JFS) as drafted contains provisions for the UK to continue taking an evidence-based approach to fisheries and aquaculture management, making full use of the best available scientific evidence, and supporting the UK in continuing to meet its international obligations and Fisheries Act 2020 objectives. This will be underpinned by a wide-ranging and coordinated monitoring programme and advisory framework, which will be further enhanced by research.
The use of best available evidence and scientific advice, transparent decision making, and partnership working, will be core principles that will underpin delivery of the policies in the JFS.
As part of our commitment to delivering a world class fisheries management system Defra is developing a set of proposals for expanding the use of Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) in English waters. We have been engaging with stakeholders to explore their views on different approaches, including on the scale and use of REM, and will test future proposals through public consultation.
Asked by: Lord Randall of Uxbridge (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure a better (1) geographic, and (2) seasonal, distribution of fishing effort.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK views information on the geographic distribution of fish stocks as fundamental to establishing both the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) and a coastal state’s share of a given stock in bilateral, trilateral and multilateral negotiations. This information should form the basis for how catch advice for each biological stock is apportioned across TAC management areas.
UK quotas are apportioned between Fisheries Administrations for allocation to their respective fishing industries. The sector, which is made up of Producer Organisations, manage their allocation of quota on behalf of their members in a range of UK and distant water fisheries. The non-sector allocation of quota is managed by the Marine Management Organisation and Marine Scotland, who work closely with industry to balance the need for quota in seasonal and local fisheries.
Asked by: Lord Randall of Uxbridge (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide translations of the consultation document and online survey on implementing due diligence on forest risk commodities, in order to aid those responding from source countries.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The UK Government published a consultation on 3 December 2021 to seek views on how the world-leading due diligence provisions introduced in the Environment Act should be implemented. The consultation will be open until 11 March 2022 and is available at: https://consult.defra.gov.uk/international-biodiversity-and-climate/implementing-due-diligence-forest-risk-commodities/
Although the legislation will only apply to relevant businesses operating in the UK, the consultation is open to respondents across the world. We want to hear from a wide range of stakeholders in the UK and internationally on the principles of our proposal, and to use their feedback to ensure that we design secondary legislation in the most effective way. Whilst we do not have plans to issue translations of the technical consultation document and online survey, Defra will continue to work closely with the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office to help ensure relevant stakeholders in other countries can engage effectively in the consultation.