Marine and Coastal Access Bill [HL]

I am sure that none of us wants to extend this discussion for too long but, given the Bill’s long gestation, the tentative way in which the Minister indicates the position of the Commission, the EU generally and other member states is not satisfactory. Surely the Government must have made more progress in the discussions before the Bill came forward on this vital issue, which threatens to undermine the whole purpose of the legislation. If he cannot do it this evening, maybe he can find some way in which he can give us a more definitive answer about how precisely the zones are intended to interrelate with the CFP as is now intended by the Commission and by other member states. Without that, we are in a difficult situation in looking at the Bill. I appreciate that it is late in the evening but, given that the Bill has been in prospect for so long, it is not acceptable to be as vague as the Minister is now being.