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Written Question
Marine Protected Areas: Bottom Trawling
Wednesday 4th February 2026

Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will prohibit bottom-towed fishing gear in all 41 Marine Protected Areas.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The consultation on the latest round of proposed fisheries byelaws, which proposes further restrictions on bottom trawling in 41 of England’s offshore Marine Protected Areas, closed on 29 September. The Marine Management Organisation is now carefully considering all responses received, and decisions will be made in due course.

Written Question
Marine Protected Areas
Tuesday 12th December 2017

Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps he has taken to protect marine environments in (a) the UK and (b) the UK Overseas Territories.

Answered by Baroness Coffey

Over 23% of UK waters are now protected within Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Management for these includes 25 legacy byelaws, 15 new voluntary agreements, and over 30 new byelaws at varying stages of completion. This year, we have designated a further ten Special Protection Areas (SPAs) for birds and the marine habitats on which they depend. This brings the total number of SPAs with marine components in the UK to 106, providing protection for over 18,000 km2 of seabird habitat. The third tranche of Marine Conservation Zones aims to complete our contribution to the international ecologically coherent network in the north east Atlantic. The consultation is due to start in the first half of 2018 with designation taking place within 12 months of that date. We have tabled legislation to ban plastic microbeads in cosmetics and personal care products. Subject to parliamentary processes, the ban on manufacture will begin in January 2018, with a ban on sale from July 2018.

The UK is on course to protect 4 million km2 of marine environment in the UK Overseas Territories by 2020 through the Blue Belt programme. In addition to the previously declared MPAs around the British Indian Ocean Territory, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, and within the British Antarctic Territory, since the commencement of the Blue Belt initiative the UK has also announced:

  • a full no-take MPA around Pitcairn’s EEZ, established in 2016 (840,000 km2);
  • a sustainable use MPA declared by St Helena in 2016 across its 445,000 km2 maritime area;
  • that Ascension Island Government has agreed an evidence based, no-take MPA, covering at least half of its 445,000 km2 maritime zone by 2019; and
  • that Tristan da Cunha is developing a regime for protecting the waters across its maritime zone of 750,000 km2.

The UK is working closely with the relevant Overseas Territories to ensure these protected areas are supported by robust scientific data, legislation and enforcement.

Written Question
Game: Animal Welfare
Monday 16th October 2017

Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to enforce the Code of Practice for the Welfare of Gamebirds Reared for Sporting Purposes; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by George Eustice

The welfare of gamebirds is protected by the Animal Welfare Act 2006 which makes it an offence to cause any unnecessary suffering to an animal or to fail to provide an animal with its welfare needs. The statutory Gamebird code, which was made under the 2006 Act, provides additional protection and provides keepers with guidance on how to meet the welfare needs of their gamebirds. Failure to follow the code's recommendations can be used in evidence in court to support a welfare prosecution. Inspectors from theAnimal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) will refer to the code when they have been asked to inspect a game farm. When required APHA advise farmers on achieving compliance and, if appropriate, legal action will be taken.

Speech in Westminster Hall - Mon 06 Feb 2017
Domestic Ivory Market

"As my hon. Friend knows, I am a fellow member of the Petitions Committee and welcome the opportunity to debate this subject. We spend an awful lot of time discussing as an international community how we can deal with the challenge of climate change, which seems somewhat intractable. Does he …..."
Oliver Dowden - View Speech

View all Oliver Dowden (Con - Hertsmere) contributions to the debate on: Domestic Ivory Market
Written Question
Reservoirs
Tuesday 13th December 2016

Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what (a) the process is and (b) permissions required are for a reservoir to be drained.

Answered by Baroness Coffey

No legal requirements exist to drain a reservoir under the Reservoirs Act 1975.

However, the operator should inform the reservoir ‘Supervising Engineer’ to oversee the process.

An Environmental Permit issued by the Environment Agency may be required by an operator ahead of draining a reservoir. This is dependent on site specific issues, the type of release and whether fish may need to be removed.

Emptying a reservoir does not decommission it and the operator’s legal responsibilities under the Act still apply.