To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made with the development of the (a) North sea nephrops discard pilot schemes and (b) Irish sea discards pilot scheme; what information his Department has recorded as a result of the schemes; whether he is in a position to make recommendations as a result of the schemes; and if he will make a statement. (144527)

I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to him on the 15 June 2007, Official Report, column 1370W, and the 18 June 2007, Official Report, column 1431W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations he has made to his EU counterparts on (a) a community-wide discard ban and (b) the introduction of a full catch registry scheme; and if he will make a statement. (144539)

At the 11-12 June Agriculture and Fisheries Council, my ministerial colleagues and I discussed the Commission's recent communication which proposes a series of discard bans in EU fisheries. I made clear that, although the UK was generally supportive of the Commission's initiative to reduce discards, we had concerns about the practical implementation of the measures proposed, particularly discard bans. We believe the Communication significantly underestimates the potential enforcement difficulties and costs associated with such measures, especially in the mixed fisheries around the UK.