Marine and Coastal Access Bill [HL]

Before my noble friend Lord Wallace of Tankerness responds, I would like to say a little bit more about the current situation. We would be naïve if we did not recognise that some in the present regime of sea fisheries committees view what is coming with trepidation and possibly even suspicion. I therefore hope that we can spell out some reassurance to the fishing communities. I noticed that the Minister referred just now to "the fishing sector in its many components". As that does not sound to me like a very united and integrated "community", singular, I think that he has already given away his reaction to my noble friend’s Amendment A228B. It is important that we indicate to the fishing communities as clearly as we can in the Bill that they will not be swamped by people coming in with a different viewpoint and attitude and that there will be a collective and cohesive approach to the problems of marine conservation. There are many people involved in the current regime who will have some concerns and who will see the possibility of imbalance. Although I am sure that the Minister is perfectly honest in saying that the Government’s clear intention is to do this or that, it is difficult for people to be reassured on that point in advance, when such matters are left to secondary legislation. I specifically take issue with the Minister’s idea that the word "community", in this particular respect, can somehow encompass "the fishing sector in its many components"—I am quoting back the Minister’s own words. My experience of fishing communities is that they are very disparate. They have very different interests based not just on whether they are on the north or south coast of Devon but on whether they are involved in sea fishing or in shellfish. Take the lobstermen and the crabbers, for example: it is not always possible to get them into the same boat, facing in the same direction. If the Minister honestly thinks he can somehow wave a magic wand and the whole fishing community can be brought together, "in the widest possible sense" was his phrase, into one community, I think he is in never-never land. I also listened very carefully to the noble Earl, Lord Cathcart. In Amendment A228A my noble friend is proposing a balance between, ""persons acquainted with the needs and opinions of the fishing communities"," and, ""persons with knowledge of, or expertise in, marine environmental matters"." The latter category must include the scientists involved. I am sure that my noble friend took that on board. I do not think that we need on this occasion one of the famous lists about which the noble Lord, Lord Taylor of Holbeach, is so anxious. However, we need more clarification from the Minister, otherwise the suspicion to which I referred at the outset may grow. I am sure that we are right to insist that all major local authorities are properly and directly represented. However, as the Minister himself admitted, that is a critical issue in terms of the number of IFC districts that we have. It could make a huge difference to the management if we had too few so that they became too large and unwieldy.