Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for relations with the Irish Government of the boarding of the Irish fishing vessel the Northern Celt by Marine Scotland.

The Scottish Government have confirmed that a Marine Scotland patrol vessel carried out a routine inspection on 4 January 2021 of an Irish fishing vessel within 12 nautical miles of Rockall. Fisheries management is a devolved matter for the Scottish Government.