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39 Marine and Coastal Access Bill 26 OCTOBER 2009 Marine and Coastal Access Bill 40
[Lords]
[Lords]
[Martin Salter]
By way of digression, Sam Coates’s comments in The
Times today suggested that the amount of parliamentary
time given over to the Bill was a complete waste, as it
was dull and boring. I would suggest that correspondents
take another look at Charles Clover’s film and book,
“The End of the Line”. They should consider the fact
that 99.4 per cent. of the world’s oceans are vulnerable
to commercial exploitation and that by 2050, unless
action is taken on the conservation measures that are in
the new clauses and the Bill, we will see a wholesale
collapse of fisheries stocks across the planet. This is
groundbreaking legislation and today’s debate is one
small step to ensuring that this excellent legislation is
improved still further, and I am delighted that the
Minister has felt able to respond to our concerns.
Mr. Charles Walker (Broxbourne) (Con): I shall make
only a brief contribution. I have served on the Bill in all
its forms for about 18 months and I must say that I am
extremely pleased that the Government have introduced
new clause 2. In four years of being a Member of
Parliament, I have never been so over-excited as I am
now about this clause. I agree with the hon. Member for
Reading, West (Martin Salter) that it would be ridiculous
if he and I were pike, perch or chub fishing on Teddington
weir and a marine fishery officer’s boat came sailing
past to check our licences. The measure is common
sense—we have had an outbreak of common sense in
this place—and Sam Coates of The Times, far from
criticising it, should be celebrating it in his column
tomorrow.
Bob Spink (Castle Point) (Ind): The inshore fleet in
the Thames estuary has acted responsibly, building
conservation for many decades, and I have been representing
their interests and approaching the Minister about this
matter for some time. Will he confirm when he sums up
that Essex and Kent fisherman will have representation
on IFCAs to protect their fishing and conservation
interests? Will he also confirm that the fishing interest
on IFCAs will be balanced with other interests, not
marginalised?
Mr. Roger Williams: I, too, have taken great pleasure
in being part of the Bill, because it is hugely important
to protect the marine environment on which so many of
our people depend for their employment and which
makes an important contribution to biodiversity locally,
nationally and internationally.
I rise briefly to speak to amendment 27, which is in
my name. Having said that, I welcome Government new
clauses 2, 3 and 6, which are based on the amendment
that the hon. Member for Reading, West (Martin Salter)
tabled in Committee. The Minister at that time gave a
commitment to look at the aims and purposes of that
proposal and to see whether it could be worked into
the Bill.
If the new clause had been tabled in the form of the
proposal made by the hon. Member for Reading, West,
we might have sought to amend it following certain
things that have been brought to my attention. The
current proposals mention allowing IFCAs to enter
into agreements with other bodies to allow the latter to
take on some of the duties and powers of the former,
but only with the permission and agreement of the
Secretary of State. The Welsh Assembly Government
have made it known that they want to take on the role
of the IFCA for Wales, and it seems inappropriate for
them to have to seek the permission of the Secretary of
State to enter into such agreements.
We are talking about the very important species that
live some of their time in the oceans and some of their
time in fresh water—diadromous fish. They are particularly
vulnerable, because they can be badly affected by overfishing
as they approach our shores. However, they can
also be badly affected because their spawning grounds
could be detrimentally affected by practices farther up
the rivers. Therefore, my amendment goes to the heart
of the matter in giving the Welsh Assembly Government
the powers to allow Welsh IFCAs to enter into agreements
to transfer responsibilities and duties that the Secretary
of State has in relation to IFCAs in England. It is a
simple amendment, but it would clarify the devolved
powers that the Welsh Assembly wishes to take on.
Huw Irranca-Davies: I thank hon. Members for the
spirit in which we have begun this debate. It is reminiscent
of the approach that has been taken throughout this
Bill—constructive engagement and an attempt to improve
the Bill. I welcome the support that we have heard for
these amendments, especially from the hon. Member
for Newbury (Mr. Benyon). He and others, including
the hon. Member for St. Ives (Andrew George), made
the valid point that IFCAs need to be representative.
That will be achieved. IFCAs are a mutation of the role
of the sea fisheries committees, and they will have
added duties and responsibilities—everyone agrees that
that is the right approach—but they will need to be
properly representative.
Clause 151 provides that the membership of IFCAs
will include the Marine Management Organisation, the
Environment Agency and Natural England, which will
each have a statutory seat. Those seats will be set out in
the order establishing each IFCA, in order to maintain
some flexibility. Around a third of seats will be allocated
to local authority members, under clause 151(1)(a), and
the constituent upper and single-tier local authorities in
each IFC district will be set out in the order establishing
each individual IFCA. The balance of seats will be
appointed by the MMO and will include members
“acquainted with the needs and opinions of the fishing community
of the district”.
I want to see all the varied interests of the fishing industry
properly represented.
We do not want the IFCAs to be unwieldy. As the
hon. Member for Brecon and Radnorshire (Mr. Williams)
knows, we love committees in Wales, but it is good to
have them doing something instead of just existing, and
IFCAs will need to be very effective and efficient. Also
represented on the IFCAs should be
“persons with knowledge of, or expertise in, marine environmental
matters.”
The new IFCAs have been welcomed by a wide range
of stakeholders. They will have a clear duty to ensure
that the exploitation of sea fisheries resources is carried
out sustainably, and they will have a greater focus than
the sea fisheries committees on the impact of fishing
activity on wider marine eco-systems. That is part and
parcel of the Bill. Significantly, IFCAs will have a new
duty to protect the marine environment and promote its
recovery from the effects of exploitation.