Marine and Coastal Access Bill [HL]

I thank noble Lords for raising their concerns in line with mine to ensure that conservation and the environment are given more prominence in the definition of IFCA duties than I believe they have in the current wording of the Bill. It was important that several noble Lords pointed out that conservation is vital for future fisheries and I am glad that the issue of getting the IFCA’s duties into line with Clause 2 has been raised and that the Minister has given a commitment to hold discussions, without commitment on his part, to see if we can reach a view on a draft for Clause 2 and a draft for the IFCA duties that would flow from that. However, perhaps I may comment on the issue raised by the noble Baroness, Lady Carnegy. Her case supports the concerned lobby rather than the view that the existing wording is right. The reality is that we know from bitter experience that local pressures and interests tend to focus on jobs and the economy at the expense of the environment. Somehow the fact that you will have an impact on something that is nationally or internationally important in the longer term pales into insignificance if you are a local councillor who is being lobbied heavily by local economic interests because they or their kids do not have jobs. That pressure will increase even more and, therefore, we need a corresponding counterbalance for the environment, because it will be a tough job to resist these strong pressures.