Question follow-through · 52443
Octopuses: Plymouth
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the (a) increase in biomass of Octopus vulgaris and (b) their predation of shellfish in pots at sea on the livelihoods of (i) c
About this written question
A written question asks a government minister for information in writing. Parliament publishes the question and any answer.
- Answering body
- Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
- Tabled
- 14 May 2025
- Target answer date
- 16 May 2025
- Answer
- 21 May 2025 · 7 calendar days after tabling
Elapsed calendar days describe the record timeline, not whether Parliament considers an answer on time.
More questions by this MP on Environment and energy
- Water Supply: Plymouth · 1 Jul 2025
- Water Supply: Plymouth · 1 Jul 2025
- Thames Water: Insolvency · 19 Mar 2026
Shared topic keywords suggest a connection; they do not establish a follow-up.
Votes on this topic
- Taxation (Energy and Vehicles) Bill Committee: New Clause 5 · 1 Jul 2026
- Taxation (Energy and Vehicles) Bill Committee: New Clause 4 · 1 Jul 2026
- Taxation (Energy and Vehicles) Bill Committee: New Clause 2 · 1 Jul 2026
These Commons divisions share a topic label. The question did not necessarily lead to a vote.
Recorded timeline
14 May 2025
Question tabled
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the (a) increase in biomass of Octopus vulgaris and (b) their predation of shellfish in pots at sea on the livelihoods of (i) c
16 May 2025
Target answer date
Date supplied by the official written-questions record.
21 May 2025
Answer published
I recently visited the fishing industry in Plymouth and was made aware of reports of an unusual abundance of octopus in the Southwest including Cornwall. Defra understands this ‘octopus bloom’ is impacting shellfish potting fisheries and causing concern t...
Official data retrieved 28 Sept 2026.
Later records
Possible follow-up questions
Strong links require the same MP, department and exact heading. Other same-department questions are shown as unreviewed candidates, not as confirmed follow-ups. No debate link is asserted unless a stable source relationship exists.
Water Supply: Plymouth
1 Jul 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many water supply outages there were in Plymouth in (a) 2022, (b) 2023, (c) 2024 and (d) 2025.
Water Supply: Plymouth
1 Jul 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the resilience of the water supply in the long term in Plymouth.
Thames Water: Insolvency
19 Mar 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what contingency plans her Department has made help ensure suppliers are protected in the event that Thames Water enter Special Administration Regime.