§ Mr. David PorterTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the age and efficiency of the British fishing fleet; how he proposes to modernise it; what comparative statistics he has in respect of the figures for the(a) Dutch, (b) Spanish and (c) Danish fleets; and if he will make a statement. [8371]
§ Mr. BaldryThe table gives details of the ages of fishing vessels in the UK, Dutch, Spanish and Danish fleets as at the end of 1991, the latest year for which such comparative data are available.
(2) what proposals he expects to put to his EU counterparts in the next three months for removing the need for fishermen to discard above quota fish at sea; and if he will make a statement. [8392]
§ Mr. BaldryNo such estimates exist within the Ministry but there is a clear need to reduce the number of discards. This will be one of the issues discussed by the fisheries conservation group which I am setting up, and I hope to be able to put proposals to the European Commission in April.