To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects to introduce a statutory instrument to ban the landing of buried lobsters; and if she will make a statement. [106757]

We have held a consultation exercise with the industry and there was broad consensus that, in the absence of an established European management regime, we should act to provide additional protection for lobster stocks. As soon as resources become available we will publish a draft Statutory Instrument to prevent the landing of buried lobsters. This will be subject to the normal consultation process.