To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs for an update on the launch of a public consultation on the Joint Fisheries Statement which will set out how his Department intends to achieve the objectives outlined in the Fisheries Bill.

The Fisheries Act 2020 sets out the United Kingdom’s fisheries objectives and requires the UK fisheries administrations acting jointly to prepare and publish a Joint Fisheries Statement (JFS) for consultation. The draft JFS will set out the joint fisheries policies and how they will meet the fisheries objectives. My officials are currently working with their counterparts in the fisheries administrations in England, Scotland and Wales on drafting the text of the JFS and the preparatory work on statutory assessments and consultation exercises.

Drafting of the JFS and associated assessments will continue until Autumn 2021.

Devolved Ministers will be asked to agree the draft before consultation. Thereafter, my Department must specify a period of scrutiny of the draft JFS by the Assembly, and lay a copy of the consultation draft before the Assembly. The draft JFS will be brought to the attention of the AERA Committee during this period.

The public consultation on the JFS is planned from late December 2021 to early March 2022, for a 13 week period. The JFS must be published by 23 November 2022.