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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, under what statutory authority Ministers may dispense with the Fish Quota Allocation to the commercial fishing sector on behalf of the Crown.

The fish quota is distributed by the Secretary of State under common law powers. This is set out in the publicly available UK Quota Management Rules and in the Quota Management Rules for of the Fisheries Administrations.

We are also seeking related powers in the Fisheries Bill which would supplement these common law powers in future. Clause 2(2) provides for the Joint Fisheries Statement to include policies relating to the distribution of quota. Clause 25 sets out criteria for the distribution of quota.