Merchant Shipping (Pollution) Bill [Lords]

I beg leave of the House to reply. This has been an enjoyable debate. I am delighted, for the first time, to cross swords with some of the new Conservative Members, who made knowledgeable and authoritative speeches. Given that they all seem to be so knowledgeable and authoritative, I hope that none of them is available for consideration of the Bill in Committee, to guarantee that I have an easy time. I suspect that they have cooked their goose and they are on the list of Members who will be on the Committee, whether they like it or not. Before I go into some of the detailed questions specifically, I should like to respond to the comment made by the hon. Member for Canterbury (Mr. Brazier) about the instruction that, rightly, Mr. Speaker has ruled out of order. Effectively, it would have allowed the Harbours Bill, a private Member’s Bill that is currently being guided through the House by my hon. Friend the Member for Dover (Gwyn Prosser), to be included within the scope of the Bill. I believe that Mr. Speaker was right to rule that that would not have been an appropriate mechanism for inclusion. However, the Government offer full support to the Harbours Bill and we are keen to see it make progress. If there is any way that we can facilitate its progress by working with the Opposition, I will be keen to explore it.