Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Highly Protected Marine Areas

Wednesday 17 May 2023 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Christine Jardine questioned the Scottish Government's proposals to designate 10% of waters as highly protected marine areas without trial schemes.
  • The Secretary of State committed to sharing the results of pilot schemes and supported fishing communities' knowledge about preserving stocks.
  • David Duguid asked if the speed of implementing the Scottish Government's policy shows the influence of environmental groups over the SNP.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Christine Jardine Lib Dem Edinburgh West
Scotland Environment
Context

Communities such as Edinburgh West benefit from a strong Scottish fishing industry but are concerned about strict restrictions imposed by the controversial proposals for highly protected marine areas, which have been called 'fundamentally flawed' by the Scottish Fishermen's Federation.

Question

My community in Edinburgh West benefits from the strong Scottish fishing industry. However, the proposals to designate 10% of our waters as highly protected marine areas with strict restrictions are controversial and have not undergone trialling or pilot schemes. Will the Secretary of State commit to sharing details of the UK Government's pilot scheme with the Scottish Government and continue to support rather than restrict communities?

Answer from Alister Jack

We will share the results of those pilot schemes. The Prime Minister has called on the Scottish Government to U-turn on this issue, as fishing communities know what is best for preserving stocks and future generations.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Sharing details of pilot schemes with the Scottish Government was acknowledged but not specifically committed to, and focus shifted towards urging a U-turn from the Scottish Government rather than supporting measures that would help fishing communities.

How: U-Turn On This Issue

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Q2 Christine Jardine Lib Dem Edinburgh West
Scotland Environment
Context

The Scottish fishing industry provides high-quality produce to shops and restaurants but faces strict restrictions from the proposals for highly protected marine areas, which have not undergone trialling or pilot schemes.

Question

Communities such as mine benefit from a strong Scottish fishing industry. However, the controversial proposals would impose strict restrictions without any trial or pilot scheme, calling them 'fundamentally flawed'. Will the Secretary of State commit to sharing details of the UK Government's pilot scheme with the Scottish Government and continue to press for measures that support rather than restrict communities?

Answer from Alister Jack

We will share the results of those pilot schemes. I reiterate what the Prime Minister said last week to another hon. Member, calling on the Scottish Government to respect fishing communities' knowledge about preserving stocks and future generations.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific commitment to sharing details with the Scottish Government was not provided; focus shifted towards urging the Scottish Government to pay attention to fishing communities.

How: U-Turn On This Issue

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Q3 David Duguid Con
Scotland Environment
Context

The fishing industry and coastal communities in Scotland are concerned about the haste with which highly protected marine areas policies are being implemented, suggesting it could be damaging to these communities.

Question

My right hon. Friend will agree that we support conservation and sustainability in principle. However, does he concur that the speed at which the Scottish Government is implementing their policy for highly protected marine areas shows a case of the Green tail wagging the SNP dog, potentially having damaging consequences for coastal communities?

Answer from Alister Jack

For those who heard the question, the answer is yes.

Not addressed: The response was too brief to provide substantive information or commitments and did not address the specific concerns about negative impacts on coastal communities.

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