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Written Question
White Fish: Monitoring
Thursday 28th March 2024

Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many pollack otolith bones were analysed by his Department in International Centre for the Exploration of the Seas area (a) VI and (b) VII in 2021.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Data is provided only for International Centre for the Exploration of the Seas Area VII. My department has not analysed pollack otolith bones from Area VI.

In 2021, 818 otolith bones were analysed by Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science.


Written Question
Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science
Tuesday 26th March 2024

Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many studies the Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science has (a) conducted and (b) completed using close-kin DNA analysis; and on what species those studies focused.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Close-kin DNA analysis is a relatively new scientific method for assessing the genetic profile and abundance of animal populations. While it has been used in fish populations elsewhere, including on thornback ray in the Bay of Biscay, the planned scientific study with pollack in the English Channel would be the first time Cefas have used it in the UK.


Written Question
Fisheries
Monday 25th March 2024

Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish the scientific (a) findings and (b) advice submitted by the Government to the International Centre for the Exploration of the Seas in respect of pollack in area VI(6) and area VII(7) in (i) 2022 and (ii) 2023.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

You asked if the Department will publish the scientific findings and advice submitted by the Government to the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) in respect of pollack in area 6 and area 7 in 2022 and 2023. The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) and the Department do not submit advice to ICES but rather collaborate with the ICES community to generate advice using the available evidence. ICES publish the information used in stock assessments on their website. Scientific findings from projects, such as the forthcoming pollack population size study in the western English Channel, are shared with ICES and published on the Department’s website.


Written Question
Fisheries
Monday 25th March 2024

Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Government announces next steps to support pollack fishermen, published on 23 February 2024, and the Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science's invitation to commercial fishers to register an interest in the forthcoming pollack population size study in the western English Channel, published on 12 March 2024, what the (a) estimated cost and (b) planned timetable for the study is; and what plans he has to publish (i) analysis and (ii) a report of this work for the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

You asked for details (cost, timeline and publication plans) of the forthcoming pollack population size study in the western English Channel, published on 12 March 2024. The Department is not able to release the estimated cost of the study at this point in time. The indicative timeline of the study is as follows:

  • 12 March 2024 – Opening date to register interest
  • 26 March 2024 – Closing date to register interest
  • 27-28 March 2024 – Application pack issued to those registered
  • 10 April 2024 – Closing date for submitting applications
  • End of April 2024 – Vessels selected and feedback provided to all applicants
  • Mid-May (dates TBC) 2024 – Training for successful applicants
  • Late May 2024 to February 2025 - Sampling programme duration

Once the data analysis is complete, the results will be shared with the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) and published on the Department’s website.


Written Question
White Fish
Thursday 21st March 2024

Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many pollack otoliths were analysed by his Department in the last 12 months.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

You asked how many pollack otoliths were analysed by the Department in the last twelve months. Data has been provided for the twelve months of 2023, as otoliths collected in 2024 have not yet been analysed.

643 (out of a target of 597) pollack otoliths were analysed by the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) in 2023. These otoliths were collected in all quarters of 2023 on a total of 64 trips in the southwest of England.


Written Question
White Fish
Thursday 21st March 2024

Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many pollack otoliths were collected by his Department in the last 12 months.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

You asked how many pollack otoliths were collected by the Department in the last twelve months. Data has been provided for the twelve months of 2023, as otoliths collected in 2024 have not yet been analysed.

643 (out of a target of 597) pollack otoliths were collected by the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) in 2023. These otoliths were collected in all quarters of 2023 on a total of 64 trips in the southwest of England.


Written Question
White Fish
Thursday 21st March 2024

Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many pollack were sampled by his Department for (a) length and (b) sex in the last 12 months.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

You asked how many pollack were sampled by the Department for (a) length and (b) sex in the last twelve months. Data has been provided for the twelve months of 2023, as pollack collected in 2024 have not yet been analysed.

3,237 pollack lengths were measured by the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) in 2023. Cefas are unable to determine the sex of the fish sampled because they are landed gutted. These pollack were sampled across all quarters of 2023 on a total of 64 trips in the southwest of England.


Written Question
Extracurricular Activities
Wednesday 13th March 2024

Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department is taking steps to support local partnerships between schools and youth organisations to support educational enrichment work in schools.

Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)

Enrichment programmes encompass a wide range of activities, including sports, art, drama, outdoor experiences, debating, volunteering, business, tech or cooking. These activities can have a significant positive impact on young people, including on their academic progress and wellbeing and the department is committed to ensuring young people have access to high quality extra curricular opportunities.

Schools are best placed to understand and meet the specific needs of their pupils, and have flexibility to decide what range of extra curricular activities to offer. However, the department does support a range of initiatives to expand access to high quality extra curricular activities through schools, such as working with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to offer the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award to all state secondary schools in England.

The Shared Outcomes Fund was originally set up in 2019 to incentivise departments to work collaboratively across challenging policy areas to deliver better value for citizens. In the Third Round of HM Treasury’s Shared Outcomes Fund the Department for Education and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport was were awarded a total of £3.4 million for the delivery of the Enrichment Partnerships Pilot (EPP), more information is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/shared-outcomes-fund-round-three. The EPP aims to improve the enrichment offer of up to 200 secondary schools in Education Investment Areas, testing whether greater coordination locally can enhance school enrichment offers, develop local partnerships and promote greater collaboration between schools on extra curricular activities.

The government has also invested £289 million to support the expansion of wraparound childcare for primary school children in England. Schools’ enrichment and extra curricular offers may interact with, complement and support the delivery of wraparound childcare provision. The department is supporting and encouraging schools to continue to offer enrichment and extra curricular activities and to consider how these activities can be delivered in a way that supports working parents. This may include working with local private providers who can support schools to deliver activities in a regular and reliable way.


Written Question
Primates: Animal Welfare
Friday 16th February 2024

Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department plans to take to support (a) animal rescue centres and (b) sanctuaries that receive surrendered primates following the implementation of the Animal Welfare (Primate Licences) (England) Regulations 2023.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Regulations include a two-year implementation period to provide sufficient time for existing keepers to make necessary changes to comply with the new regulations or to find a suitable alternative home for their primate.

These measures do not meet the threshold for a formal impact assessment and no significant costs on the public sector or businesses have been identified. We will be working with local authorities and the sectors to identify suitable rehoming facilities for primates and determine how they can be supported effectively to meet potential future demand for their services.


Written Question
Primates: Pets
Friday 16th February 2024

Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Animal Welfare (Primate Licences) (England) Regulations 2023 on primates kept by owners who are unable to meet licensing requirements under the new regulations.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Regulations include a two-year implementation period to provide sufficient time for existing keepers to make necessary changes to comply with the new regulations or to find a suitable alternative home for their primate.

These measures do not meet the threshold for a formal impact assessment and no significant costs on the public sector or businesses have been identified. We will be working with local authorities and the sectors to identify suitable rehoming facilities for primates and determine how they can be supported effectively to meet potential future demand for their services.