To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the answer of 18 June 2007, Official Report, columns 1431-32W, on fisheries, what information his Department holds on discard pilot projects undertaken by other EU member states; and if he will make a statement. (165468)

The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) are partners in an EU project to evaluate the effectiveness of discard pilots across the Community. The work is not due to be completed until the spring of next year, but an interim report has been produced and I will arrange for copies to be placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with his European counterparts on the merits of fishing effort reduction in UK fisheries; and if he will make a statement. (165516)

In the absence of formal Commission proposals, my discussions with European colleagues thus far, concerning the effort management arrangements for next year, have not focused on issues specific to particular member states. I have however made clear that the UK will resist blunt cuts in days for 2008 and believe it is more important to focus on other ways of reducing fishing mortality, including through the operation of a real-time closure mechanism to protect concentrations of juvenile fish and the trialling of more selective gear.