Marine and Coastal Access Bill [HL]

I do not think that we are in a position where we can say that we have secured full agreement, but the noble Baroness is right to say that it is part of the Government’s objectives. Let me conclude the point I was making because it is important, and I shall try to develop the other issues that have been raised. We could put more stringent regulations on UK vessels if we chose to do so, but I make the obvious point that exercising that power would not be undertaken lightly. If we have to use it to protect marine conservation zones, it would be only because there was a compelling case to use a measure of last resort. The idea that we would lightly apply to the British fishing fleet controls that we would not be able to operate in relation to other vessels is, as far as the Government are concerned, a matter of last resort. So I accept the point made by the noble Lord, Lord Wallace, and indeed it underpinned what the noble Lord, Lord Eden, and the noble Baroness, Lady Carnegy of Lour, were saying as well. We are not in the business of disadvantaging the British fishing industry, but with regard to certain aspects of these zones, we could not give an undertaking that we would do nothing about fishing if the only way to protect of the zones was in fact to do something.