Marine and Coastal Access Bill [HL]

My Lords, before I contribute to this stage of the Bill, I shall declare my interests. Details are available in the register, but I am sure that I should tell the House that I am a grower, farmer and landowner. I am a member of the NFU, the Farmers’ Company and a number of agricultural societies and conservation bodies. I am also a member of the National Trust, which owns substantial areas adjacent to the coast. My wife is and has been for the past 20 years the Lincolnshire County Council member for Holbeach, which includes the large expanse of Holbeach marsh, which stretches for many miles out into the Wash. It is an area that I have known well since childhood. I thank the Minister for moving the amendments. It is clear from the addition of my name and that of my noble friend Lord Cathcart to them that they have our support. I am very grateful to the Minister and his officials for what he said constructively with us and other noble Lords during the past few weeks. I may add very little that is new to the general view of other noble Lords in this debate but, as the Minister explained, the amendments cover several important aspects of the MMO and it is right that the Opposition's voice is added in their support. We are very glad that the Government have taken our concerns about the scientific basis for the MMO's decision-making seriously. The addition of a chief scientific adviser is a great step forward, as is the stated duty in Clause 2 to base decisions on fact. We hope that the amendments will benefit the MMO by ensuring that it has sufficient in-house expertise for the often difficult decisions that it will be called on to make, and will make those decisions based on fact. The appointment of the chief scientific adviser will also, I hope, act as a figurehead for the development of marine science generally. We all seek to establish government bodies on as professional and effective a footing as possible. We see the amendments as an important step towards that goal. My noble friend Lord Kingsland has two amendments in the group. The Government's response owes much to the way in which he has contributed to and articulated the argument for the changes in Committee. I will leave it to the Minister to respond to my noble friend’s amendments. The other amendments in the group are also extremely welcome and go a long way towards addressing our concerns about the drafting of Clause 2. The Government have also decided that legislative consistency means that they cannot accept "furthering or promoting sustainable development" in the MMO's duties, but, as the noble Lord, Lord Greaves, said, the new power to further the three pillars of sustainable development will be critical to ensure that the MMO can make a real difference to our marine environment. As we have said, the MMO must not be just another quango in a sector already clogged with them. It needs to be a genuinely effective body with real teeth. Finally, the amendments ensuring that the Secretary of State's guidance on what is meant by sustainable development will be laid before Parliament are also extremely welcome. I am sure that not only Parliament but those implementing the policy will welcome the increased transparency and clarity. I again thank the Minister for listening to the House's concerns and congratulate him on bringing back amendments that address so many of our concerns. I hope that the rest of our proceedings can continue in an equally productive fashion.