Mr. Aidan O'Driscoll:

I should have included fishing in my opening statement. The report refers to a number of items that were under preparation. It refers to the omnibus regulation in 2014, essentially the process through which the existing legislative framework for fisheries was brought into line with the new provisions of the Common Fisheries Policy. In the second half of 2014, they were working on the omnibus regulation and that is what it refers to.

The section on the Latvian Presidency talks about the landing obligations regulation. This is the process through which the discards ban is being implemented. As members may know, this is being implemented initially through a voluntary regional process. We take part in the north western waters fisheries group and negotiations are ongoing at present, mainly in respect of demersal fisheries, to develop the detailed rules and regulations around the discards ban. If the group can reach agreement and if it passes muster with the Commission, the Commission will include that in a delegated Act regulation that it will make. If we cannot reach agreement in the north western waters fisheries group, the Commission will act of its own right in proposing a delegated Act. The intention is that the discards ban will commence by 1 January 2016.

The aim of the north west fisheries group is to get agreement in the group by the end of May. A huge amount of effort is being put in by my colleagues on the fisheries side at present.