Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South and Mid Down)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the Operation Ocean Witness initiative launched on 8 June 2021 by Greenpeace.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
Marine Protected Areas are a devolved competency and the information provided therefore relates to England only.
We remain committed to delivering a well-managed network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Our focus is therefore on making sure all MPAs are being effectively managed as quickly as possible. 98 MPAs in inshore waters now have management measures in place to protect sensitive features from bottom towed fishing gears.
A new byelaw power in the Fisheries Act 2020 allows the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) to protect offshore MPAs from damaging fishing activity. Work on implementing this has begun and the MMO has already consulted on byelaws for 4 priority offshore MPAs. We aim to have these in place later this year. In consultation with the fishing industry, the MMO is also developing a 3-year programme for assessing all offshore sites to see what measures are required, including implementing byelaws, where necessary, to manage fishing activity in these MPAs.
The MMO monitors activity to ensure all fishing complies with current rules and will ensure compliance with new measures as they are introduced.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South and Mid Down)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 May 2021 to Question 1407, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending immigration exemptions for seasonal workers within fish processing.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
A 2018 Seafish survey found that seasonal workers accounted for 15% of all jobs sampled in UK fish processing. This survey found that in Kilkeel, seasonal workers accounted for 1% of all jobs sampled whilst data for Ardglass is not available. The new immigration rules were introduced on 1 January 2021 during the global pandemic and we do not believe their impact on the fish processing sector can be accurately measured at this time. Given the uncertain future that many resident workers in the UK are facing due to Covid19, the growing number of applications for the EU Settled status scheme, and the comparatively lower numbers of seasonal workers in fishing compared to other industries, this is not the appropriate time for an assessment. EU nationals who have settled status can continue to travel to the UK to undertake seasonal work during 2021.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South and Mid Down)
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 effect of the new immigration rules on the fish processing sector in the UK.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
A 2018 Seafish survey found that seasonal workers accounted for 15% of all jobs sampled in UK fish processing. This survey found that in Kilkeel, seasonal workers accounted for 1% of all jobs sampled whilst data for Ardglass is not available. The new immigration rules were introduced on 1 January 2021 during the global pandemic and we do not believe their impact on the fish processing sector can be accurately measured at this time. Given the uncertain future that many resident workers in the UK are facing due to Covid19, the growing number of applications for the EU Settled status scheme, and the comparatively lower numbers of seasonal workers in fishing compared to other industries, this is not the appropriate time for an assessment. EU nationals who have settled status can continue to travel to the UK to undertake seasonal work during 2021.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South and Mid Down)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 May 2021 to Question 1405, what estimate his Department has made of the number of seasonal workers employed annually within fish processing in (a) UK ports in total, (b) Ardglass and (c) Kilkeel ports.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
A 2018 Seafish survey found that seasonal workers accounted for 15% of all jobs sampled in UK fish processing. This survey found that in Kilkeel, seasonal workers accounted for 1% of all jobs sampled whilst data for Ardglass is not available. The new immigration rules were introduced on 1 January 2021 during the global pandemic and we do not believe their impact on the fish processing sector can be accurately measured at this time. Given the uncertain future that many resident workers in the UK are facing due to Covid19, the growing number of applications for the EU Settled status scheme, and the comparatively lower numbers of seasonal workers in fishing compared to other industries, this is not the appropriate time for an assessment. EU nationals who have settled status can continue to travel to the UK to undertake seasonal work during 2021.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South and Mid Down)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of extending immigration exemptions for seasonal workers to the fishing industry.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
A Seafish survey found seasonal workers accounted for 6% of all fishers in UK ports in 2018. This included three seasonal workers in Kilkeel and none in Ardglass. We have made no assessment on the effect of the new immigration rules on the fishing industry introduced on 6 April 2021.
We have not assessed the merits of extending the Seasonal Workers Pilot to the fishing industry given the comparatively lower numbers of seasonal workers in fishing compared to other food production industries. EU nationals who have settled status can continue to travel to the UK to do seasonal work in 2021.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South and Mid Down)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the new immigration rules on the fishing industry.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
A Seafish survey found seasonal workers accounted for 6% of all fishers in UK ports in 2018. This included three seasonal workers in Kilkeel and none in Ardglass. We have made no assessment on the effect of the new immigration rules on the fishing industry introduced on 6 April 2021.
We have not assessed the merits of extending the Seasonal Workers Pilot to the fishing industry given the comparatively lower numbers of seasonal workers in fishing compared to other food production industries. EU nationals who have settled status can continue to travel to the UK to do seasonal work in 2021.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South and Mid Down)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the number of seasonal workers employed annually within the fishing industry in (a) UK ports in total, (b) Ardglass and (c) Kilkeel ports.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
A Seafish survey found seasonal workers accounted for 6% of all fishers in UK ports in 2018. This included three seasonal workers in Kilkeel and none in Ardglass. We have made no assessment on the effect of the new immigration rules on the fishing industry introduced on 6 April 2021.
We have not assessed the merits of extending the Seasonal Workers Pilot to the fishing industry given the comparatively lower numbers of seasonal workers in fishing compared to other food production industries. EU nationals who have settled status can continue to travel to the UK to do seasonal work in 2021.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South and Mid Down)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect on the Northern Ireland Protocol of the proposals in Schedule 16 of the Environment Bill on the use of forest risk commodities in commercial activity.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
We are introducing world-leading due diligence legislation through the Environment Bill to tackle illegal deforestation in UK supply chains. These amendments achieve that by regulating businesses, which is a reserved policy area in Scotland and Wales and transferred in Northern Ireland. We are working closely with Devolved Administrations including Northern Ireland colleagues to allow these measures to extend across the UK.
The Northern Ireland Protocol sets out arrangements for Northern Ireland in light of the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union. It exists to ensure that the progress made in the 22 years since the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement is secured into the future. The protocol applies specified provisions of European Union law in Northern Ireland. It also puts in terms to maintain unfettered access to the rest of the UK market for Northern Ireland businesses and to ensure that trade flows as smoothly as possible. The due diligence provisions in the Environment Bill will not have an impact on the principles or obligations set out in the Protocol, and we will continue to monitor its implementation to ensure this continues to be the case.