Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Government of the Republic of Ireland on steps to ensure the revival of Wild Atlantic Salmon stocks.

Defra officials have had discussions with the Republic of Ireland relating to the revival of Wild Atlantic Salmon stocks on three separate occasions since June last year: at the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation’s (NASCO) annual meeting in Sweden in June; in September to discuss NASCO’s International Year of the Salmon (IYS) symposium; and in November to continue discussions on the IYS.