Harbours Bill [HL]

My Lords, unlike the two noble Lords who have just spoken in this short debate, I am afraid that I come new to this subject. I read the previous debates in Hansard and found them to be almost unnaturally relevant to this debate as we are dealing with more or less the same subject. My noble friend Lord Bradshaw spoke on the previous occasion, in a way that probably only he can, about trivial objections being raised. He said that one has to put up with some interference to see any improvements. The only original point that I thought of making was made by the noble Lord, Lord Greenway. We have just heard an entire debate about energy usage. Shipping is an efficient use of energy; it is an efficient way of transporting goods. We must look to build up our harbours and make sure that they are fit for purpose in the current century. I hope that this legislation will be seen as a part of an integrated transported approach which will deal not only with the harbours but also with the rail and road links that are needed on the other side. Let us look at the Bill holistically. It is good not only for trade, but also for keeping our greenhouse emissions down.