Marine and Coastal Access Bill [HL]

I am sure that the whole Committee welcomes the return of the noble Lord, Lord Greaves. He arrives at an auspicious moment. As he says, we are now at the heart of the Bill. These amendments address an important aspect of what the Bill is about. This group addresses an enormously wide range of topics. Our amendment in this group addresses merely one aspect of marine conservation zones: the question of by when they will be established. As we know, the Government have already indicated in their marine programme plan that they are aiming to receive recommendations in 2011 and so designate in 2012, as does Amendment No. 120, spoken to by the noble Lord, Lord Greaves. Our amendment would likewise firm up that intention and place it in the Bill. Three years does not seem an overly onerous timetable for the development and designation of a network of marine conservation zones, especially as the early work of establishing the consultation panels and so on is by all accounts under way. Other amendments in this group address whether there is a duty on the Government to ensure that the MCZs establish a network, or whether it is just another intention. I, too, hope that the MCZs will be designated from the first instance with an ecologically coherent, ecosystem-based network in mind. A scattergun approach in the initial stages would be counterproductive, resulting in time-consuming and distracting reviews and adjustments to the objectives and boundaries of zones. It would result also in ongoing confusion among the wider public. The finer detail of what comprises an ecologically coherent network will change over time as scientific research continues and more information is gathered. However, will the Minister confirm that the Government and the conservation body being charged with the responsibility for organising the consultation panels have at least a working model of what they are seeking to achieve? The helpful briefings on the Bill which Defra has provided show a worrying vagueness about what a network might mean in different circumstances. This Chamber is rightly proud of its commitment to probing not just the intentions of government but also the consequences of drafting. I hope that the Minister will listen carefully to calls for the definition of "network" to be more fully defined in the Bill.