Natural Environment and Rural Communities Bill

My Lords, I am delighted that there will be consultation before the introduction of the Bill. I do not know whether the Minister has any further information on that, but obviously it is something in which we are very interested. I think in the Session before last my honourable friend John Randall brought a Private Member’s Bill before the House, which the Minister will remember well. Unfortunately, it did not get through this House, but we wish to return with it because it covers this very important issue. The Minister is right to say that it is not only of interest to the Government; it is of interest all around the House. As I have said several times before, I bitterly regret that when the CROW Act was going through the House we missed the opportunity to include this matter. We inserted the crucial clause of biodiversity but we looked at things above, rather than below, the sea. There would have been an opportunity to do it at that stage but unfortunately we missed it, so we welcome that. If the Minister has any timings to share with the House, they would be helpful. Also, can she tell us whether it will be a Defra Bill rather than a DTI one? One of the difficulties with the Private Member’s Bill was that the care of marine and wildlife overran so many different government departments, so it would be helpful if the Minister could tell us that Defra will actually be responsible for the Bill.