Marine and Coastal Access Bill [HL]

My Lords, I, too, welcome Amendment 5, which goes a long way to meeting the concerns that I raised earlier in the proceedings on this legislation. It is important that the points raised by the noble Baroness, Lady Byford, be properly addressed. I speak with some experience of this, having done rather more than five years as Chief Scientific Adviser to the Ministry of Defence. Two elements are important. First, there is the seniority of the appointment. Secondly, there is the amount of time. Seniority is extremely important, because in the Civil Service, in agencies and elsewhere seniority determines how much you are listened to. It is very important that this person be listened to. It determines which meetings you attend and whether you are aware of the total business that is going on in the organisation. It is important that it is a senior position. I judge from the form of the amendment that it is intended that this be senior, because the appointment of an individual has to be approved by the Secretary of State. The MoD made its Chief Scientific Adviser appointment at Permanent Secretary level, and I believe that it still does. That is the sort of clout that is needed. Secondly, the time commitment, too, is very important—certainly in the early years when the appointee is learning, if I may put it this way, where the stamps are kept. You have to know how the operation works, and where your help will be needed and useful. The problem is that many people in the department do not know that they need advice or help in particular areas, so the person holding the post must be proactive. In the early years, this involves a significant commitment of time. I worked full-time; I do not think that the post has to be full-time, but in the early years one is really looking at four days a week to be effective. Later, when things are under way and the MMO is better established, it could be less. However, it would be very important for the Minister to take account of these things in his guidance to the organisation.