Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what steps officials in his Department have taken with officials in (a) other Government departments and (b) the Scottish Government to ensure that Fisheries Protection Scotland is fully prepared to prevent illegal incursions into UK waters around Scotland after the UK has left the Common Fisheries Policy.

Fisheries protection and enforcement is a devolved matter in Scotland but the UK Government is very aware that its effectiveness is dependent upon close cooperation between the fisheries protection and other maritime security functions of the UK Government, the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and the NI Executive. Officials in the Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland have helped facilitate that close cooperation.