Marine and Coastal Access Bill [HL]

I shall speak also to Amendments A259 and A262. Part 8 of the Bill deals with enforcement, and Clause 225 specifically with marine enforcement officers. Marine enforcement officers are, ""any person appointed as such … by the MMO … by the Welsh Ministers … any person who is a commissioned officer of any of Her Majesty’s ships … [or] any person in command or charge of any aircraft or hovercraft of the Royal Navy, the Army or the Royal Air Force"." In respect of the first category, any person appointed as such an officer by the MMO, my Amendment A254 would add, "solely employed" after "an officer", the reason being that individuals should be appropriately trained and meet competency standards before they are able to carry out any functions on behalf of the MMO. Any person appointed as a marine enforcement officer should also be protected from potential conflicts of interests, such as holding another appointment with another organisation concerned with marine management. Amendment A259 deals with interpretations under this part of the Bill. An enforcement officer appointed by the MMO may also bring with him any other person to assist him. If he is to do that, "any other person" should be made clearer. My amendment defines "any other person" as, ""a person who is in an appropriate marine regulatory position"." Amendments A260 and A261 refer back to Clause 250(1)(a) and "any other person" who may be brought along by an enforcement officer. Both the enforcement officer and the person assisting him must produce their name and appropriate authority for what they are doing, if requested to do so. I seek to leave out the words "if requested to do so", because it is important that people should identify themselves straightaway to anyone whom they are stopping where they believe they may have caused an offence. This would be particularly important for a foreign yachtsman, for example, who may not really know what is going on if he happens to sail into an area where he is not supposed to be. It is right that the enforcement officer or his assistant should identify themselves properly first. My final amendment in this group again refers to those assisting the enforcement officer. As I have intimated, they should also provide their name straightaway, without being prompted. I beg to move.