Wreck Removal Convention Bill

My Lords, I am extremely grateful to all noble Lords who have contributed to the debate today. I thank them for their broad support for the Bill. My noble friend the Minister has responded to most of the questions raised, but there are one or two points to which I should like to respond. The noble Lord, Lord Berkeley, asked about progress on ratification of the convention. So far, three states have ratified it: India, Iran and Nigeria. Furthermore, in December 2008, all EU member states made a firm commitment to express their consent to be bound by the convention by no later than 1 January 2013. The noble Lord also raised questions, to which the Minister referred, around the Secretary of State being able to ““direct”” the general lighthouse authorities. Perhaps I may reinforce what the Minister and the noble Lord, Lord Greenway, said by explaining that the term ““direct”” is important because it means that, if the Secretary of State decides to issue a direction, the authorities will then be parties to the convention. If the Secretary of State does not ““direct””, they will not enjoy the same benefits of the convention as others. The noble Lord, Lord Davies of Oldham, suggested that I could look forward to lively and interesting debates in Committee. I like lively and interesting, and I hope by that stage to be able to respond to the suggestion of the noble Lord, Lord Berkeley, that the memorandum of understanding between the Government and the GLA be made possible for other authorities involved. The noble Lord, Lord Berkeley, asked about the role of the harbour authorities under the terms of the convention. It is worth making it clear that the instruction from the Secretary of State to harbour authorities will apply only in the harbours or waters that they already control. There would be no extension of any responsibility for them beyond that which they already have. I think that I have covered all of the issues relevant to me. If there is anything further, I am sure that I can follow it up in writing. Bill read a second time and committed to a Committee of the Whole House.