To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the effects of algal blooms on (a) mussel beds and (b) inshore fisheries in the area covered by the North Western and North Wales Sea Fisheries Committee. (142809)

Neither DEFRA, nor the Welsh Assembly Government (which is responsible for water quality in Wales) have carried out such assessments. However, the North Western and North Wales Sea Fisheries Committees monitor and plot the locations of algal blooms in the sea.

The Food Standards Agency advises that some algae produce biotoxins, which may accumulate in shellfish and pose a risk to consumers. The UK has a statutory monitoring programme in place to check for the presence of biotoxins in live bivalve molluscs.

Under the programme, live bivalve molluscs, including mussels from the Morecambe Bay area, are routinely sampled and tested. Since June 2006, biotoxins have not been found to be a public health concern in the Morecambe Bay area.

The Environment Agency also monitors water quality in these areas, as required by the Shellfish Waters Directive.