Marine and Coastal Access Bill [HL]

I am grateful to the noble Lord for giving way. On the amendment, which is in my name and that of my noble friend, might he be a little more forthcoming about what he sees as the prioritisation during the 10-year period, even if it is not a specific, exact 10 years? Prioritisation around the coastline is going to be very important. He said that he was in listening mode and that the south-west coast path was a model for what we would like to see. That is reflected by contributions from all sides of the Committee. Certainly, I would expect that. Does he accept that there may be some value even at this early stage in indicating—not in the Bill but in the debate and to the so-called stakeholders—that the south-west coast path may indeed be the model for other parts of the country, but that that would imply leaving it alone for the time being? That is a sensible basis on which to show that a sensible balance has been achieved in the south-west. On every point that the noble Lord has just referred to, the south-west path has, over a large number of years and with so many participants, dealt with that balance, whether in relation to the balance between recreation and conservation, or between conservation and the working and farming environment. Will he expand somewhat on the Government’s attitude? Is it the intention in Clause 286(4) that, in discharging the duty, Natural England and the Secretary of State should give some indication of how the stages should be approached? Is the intention that there should be more tweaking of the existing coastal path, pre-eminently in the south-west; or is the intention that it should be the model for a major extension of coastal access around other parts of the United Kingdom? People not only in the south-west but elsewhere would accept that the good model that we have there, to which he has referred, should be left alone for the time being and used as a model for the rest of the country. I am particularly grateful to the noble Lord for indicating just now that these sorts of priorities will be the subject of parliamentary scrutiny. I am sure that we shall want to return to that point.