Marine and Coastal Access Bill [HL]

My Lords, we return again to a matter that caused a great deal of controversy in Committee when we tabled a few amendments seeking to ensure that the successful designation of a network marine conservation zone did not fall at the last hurdle or be overridden by social and economic interests. That debate was lengthy and represented a wide variety of views. The Minister responded at length about the balance the Government were trying to find between conservation bodies, seeking the complete acceptance of their recommendations, and groups representing social and economic interest, which were concerned that zones would be designated without any regard for their impact on other legitimate users of the sea. As a result of those debates, I find that I cannot agree with the amendment of the noble Baroness but that does not devalue the amendment and the discussion we are having because of it. We have always held that designation of zones will be meaningless if they cannot be implemented and enforced properly. The proper consideration of the pressures that will be placed on them and the genuine attempts to relieve those pressures without damaging their conservation objectives will be essential if the part is to work. The Government’s own document, which we have recently received, points out that we should not belittle how much is already covered: 9 per cent of the inland coastal waters and 2 per cent of the continental shelf are covered under mature conservation regimes. It shows that in embryo there is already a strong conservation movement in marine conservation, from which I imagine much has been learnt about the efficacy of MCZ designation. We have tabled Amendment 112, which seeks to ensure that the appropriate authority seeks the advice of the body that will be making the decisions that will result in the achievement of the zone’s objectives. The drafting is rather clumsy because the appropriate authority is the national body of the multi-nation United Kingdom. It is clumsy owing to the difficulties of the devolution aspects of the Bill, but essentially the amendment would ensure that the Secretary of State will consult the MMO before designating a zone in the area. My noble friend Lord Kingsland has tabled an amendment to which I have added my name, which would further require the appropriate authority to base his decision to designate zones on scientific evidence. He will no doubt speak to his amendment in detail; I look forward to listening to what he has to say. However, I should like to add that much of the debate on this controversial subsection (7) results from the belief by one set of stakeholders that the Secretary of State will come under unfair pressure from another set and that he will be tempted to make unfair decisions on the basis of money or political expediency. Therefore, I strongly support my noble friend’s efforts to ensure that the decision is made on science, just as we succeeded in ensuring in Clause 2, and I hope that the Minister will look favourably on the two Conservative amendments in this group.