Marine and Coastal Access Bill [HL]

It is not easy to give a one-line answer to that. It will depend on the research being considered, and the surrounding circumstances. For instance, research will become publicly available that the MMO, along with anyone else, will be entitled to use. Equally, there may be gaps in the research that the MMO requires, and it could commission the department that the noble Baroness refers to, or any other research organisation. Alternatively, Defra’s research and development commissions might identify a research project that is needed. It might be Defra that commissions the department to which she refers, and pays the cost. We have flexibility here. I agree that, although scientific expertise will be important among the staff of the MMO, the extent to which those staff will do research themselves will probably be limited. What is important is that the MMO has staff who understand science and are able to analyse it and give high-quality advice to the board of the MMO. In my department, our chief scientific adviser, Mr Bob Watson, is a man of the highest calibre. Other departments have people of similar calibre. Clearly, we want to ensure that the MMO has a similar capacity. We also need MMO staff who understand the commissioning of research, so that the specifications are correct and the research is properly monitored. Equally, the MMO will have access to research undertaken by my own department, and it can enter into collaborative agreements as well. The point is that the MMO has a great deal of flexibility. The reassurance that I seek to give noble Lords is that it will have the ability to commission research where it needs to. It all lends to the original point of this debate, which is that decisions by the MMO are informed by high-quality science and other evidence.