Marine and Coastal Access Bill [HL]

I hope that the noble Lord is not going to press me too far on this. I would like to see whether I can provide some further information following today’s debates. I fully accept that if you have a very good example of a coastal pathway where a lot of the issues we are going to be discussing have been teased out, where there has been agreement and where a lot of people are using the pathway, then there are many lessons that we would wish to learn from it. He was also suggesting that if you already have a successful pathway, it might be best not to fiddle around and tinker with it, but to get on with those areas where coastal access is either difficult or where it warrants more proactive work by Natural England working with local authorities. I agree with that, and I am sure that it will be taken into account by Natural England. My reluctance to go much further is of course due to the fact that we have provisions in Clause 288 whereby Natural England must prepare a scheme that sets out its approach. The whole point is that we want Natural England to give a great deal of thought to that. It has already given it some thought. Assuming that the legislation is passed, we want Natural England to give a great deal of thought to the approach it should take. The Secretary of State can approve the scheme, reject it or approve it with modification. I am not trying to duck the noble Lord’s question, which was very good. I have answered it in terms of a general principle. As we debate this part of the Bill over the next day or so, I will ensure that the issues raised are fed into Natural England’s work on developing a scheme. The noble Lord has raised a very useful point. However, I hope he will accept that Governments always resist timetables, and we will resist this one. I do not want him to think that by doing so we are not committed to the work being undertaken within that period. I hope I have convinced him that, like your Lordships, the Government believe that we should embark on this duty with enthusiasm.