Marine and Coastal Access Bill [HL]

Perhaps I may help the Minister. I believe that the Defra website has made note of five possible sites already submitted, so there is a little bit of information available. I thank all noble Lords who have contributed to this animated debate. The Minister will perhaps be quite pleased that it took place so late in the day, or we might have had a much larger body of noble Lords trying to intervene. I am not sure that I should be glad that my noble friend Lady Carnegy of Lour feels that I am capable of pious hopes, but some of the answers given by the Minister perhaps make me something of a common bedfellow as far as that goes. The Minister said that we are obliged by EU regulation to seek agreement on matters within the 12-mile limit. We do not need agreement with anybody other than those within the UK, but we need to get on and get it done. Given the sense of urgency, I had hoped that the Government would give us some idea of what they see as the way forward in the areas over which we have power. The prospect of the Minister imposing on UK vessels restrictions that do not apply to others gives one visions of reactions perhaps even more violent than anything we have had to the current banking crisis. In the mean time, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment A122 withdrawn. Clause 113, as amended, agreed.