Clause
318Commencement
Ann
McKechin: I beg to move amendment 63, in
clause 318, page 222, line 45, at
end insert— ‘( ) in Part 3
(marine planning)— (i)
paragraphs 4(1) to (4), 5 and 6 of Schedule 5 (statement of public
participation relating to MPS) and, so far as relating to those
paragraphs, paragraphs 1 and 2 of that Schedule;
(ii) sections 44(1)(b) and (5) and 45(4), so far as
relating to those
paragraphs;’. The
purpose of this amendment is to provide for the provisions relating to
the preparation and publication of a statement of public participation
in relation to the Marine Policy Statement to come into force on Royal
Assent.
The
Chairman: With this it will be convenient to discuss
Government amendment
64.
Ann
McKechin: The amendments provide for the early
commencement of the provisions in part 3 on marine planning relating to
the preparation and publication of a statement of public participation
concerning the involvement of interested parties in the development of
the marine policy statement. The amendments will enable us to publish
the statement of public participation as soon as we have Royal Assent,
rather than waiting for a further two
months. As
Members will be aware, the marine policy statement will be the first
stage of the new marine planning system. Marine plans have to be in
conformity with it, so as to ensure a joined-up, UK-wide approach. We
wish to publish an MPS as soon as possible, and to be able to consult
on it by early spring of 2010. To do so, we need to ensure that the
formal consultation procedures set out in the Bill can be carried out
as soon as
possible. Before
we can issue the MPS for consultation, we need to issue a statement of
public participation, which will set out how we propose to involve
interested persons throughout the UK in preparation of the MPS,
including a proposed timetable for consultation. It is important that
we allow a reasonable period between the issue of the statement of
public participation and the consultation draft of the MPS. We wish to
give interested parties as much notice as possible of when and how we
will consult on the draft MPS, which will enable them to plan ahead for
making representations and attending any public meetings about the
consultation
draft. Currently,
part 3 of the Bill is not commenced until two months after Royal
Assent. As Committee members will realise, the final stages of
consideration of the Bill will not be until after the summer recess.
Therefore, subject to parliamentary approval, Royal Assent is not
expected before the end of October at the earliest. That means that the
statement of public participation will not be issued until towards the
end of December 2009 or the beginning of 2010, which would mean a
limited time for
preparation. Amendment
63 agreed
to. Amendment
made: 64, in
clause 318, page 223, line 7, at
beginning insert ‘So far
as not already brought into force by virtue of subsection
(1),’.—(Ann
McKechin.) See
Member’s explanatory statement for amendment
63. Clause
318, as amended, ordered to stand part of the
Bill.
Clause
319Short
title 12.15
pm
Ann
McKechin: I beg to move amendment 25, in
clause 319, page 223, line 41, leave
out subsection (2).
The effect of this amendment would be
to remove the “Privilege Amendment” which was inserted at
Third Reading in the Lords to avoid infringement of the financial
privileges of the
Commons. It is a
privilege of the House to control charges on public funds. When a Bill
is introduced in the other place, a privilege amendment is, by
convention, moved before the Bill is brought to the lower House so as
to avoid infringing that privilege. The amendment
simply deletes the privilege amendment in the usual
manner. Amendment
25 agreed
to. Clause
319, as amended, ordered to stand part of the
Bill.
Ordered, That
certain written evidence already reported to the House be appended to
the proceedings of the Committee.—(Huw
Irranca-Davies.) Question
proposed, That the Chairman do report the Bill, as amended, to the
House.
Huw
Irranca-Davies: On a point of order, Mr. Gale.
I thank the Committee for its deliberations, which have been a model of
forensic analysis and focus. I particularly thank the peers in the
other place and want to mention the unfortunate death in the past few
days of Lord Kingsland, who was a significant contributor to
their deliberations. His wide and exacting knowledge, as well as his
role as chair of the Plymouth marine laboratory, helped significantly.
I want to pass on the regards of my team and the Committee to Lord
Kingsland’s
family. May
I also take this opportunity to thank the Under-Secretary of State for
Scotland, my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow, North? Our partnership
has been worthy of Monty Panesar and James Anderson’s
last-wicket partnership for the England and Wales cricket team. It has
been a sterling effort. I also thank my hon. Friend the Member for
Middlesbrough, South and East Cleveland, who has been like a twelfth
man coming on to the pitch in times of trouble. It has very much been a
team effort. I thank all members of the Committee for their
constructive and thoughtful contributions throughout the debate. I
particularly thank the hon. Members for Newbury and for St. Ives for
their significant
contributions. It is
worth recording the efforts of the expert, dedicated and enthusiastic
Bill team who support me when I get into trouble, which is quite often.
I also want to pass on my regards to those described by what the hon.
Member for Newbury refers to as a horrible S-word—stakeholders,
not socialism—who have lobbied us, and will continue to do so,
for their energetic engagement with both the marine and coastal access
parts of the Bill. One person whom I have not previously mentioned, but
who is worth recalling, is the former chair of Natural England, Sir
Martin Doughty, who was a committed advocate of the Bill. I think he
will be gently smiling down on
us. Thank
you also to the Committee Clerks for their work and to the Serjeant at
Arms and the police for maintaining order on this riotous Bill over the
past few weeks. Not least, Mr. Gale, I thank you and your
colleague, Mr. Pope, for your careful stewardship of what, I
think, has been a very good Committee on a Bill that was very good when
it entered here and that leaves even
better.
Mr.
Benyon: Further to that point of order, Mr.
Gale. I am grateful to the Minister for his kind words about Lord
Kingsland, who, as he has said, was very active in moving amendments in
another place. The Minister has been generous in his thanks, and I can
only echo them and thank all members of the Committee. We have worked
well on a cross-party basis to improve the Bill. There is more work to
be done, which, no doubt, we will do with a similar co-operative
attitude. I thank the Minister’s Bill team, who have kept us
informed at every step in a very professional way. I am grateful to the
Minister and, of course, to the Committee Clerks, who have steered us
along. This is really
important legislation, and I look forward to its getting Royal Assent
as soon as possible. I think that I speak for all Opposition Members
when I say how grateful we are to the many organisations
that have lobbied us, and we hope to continue to
work with them when the Bill is implemented. The legislation
has excited much more interest from a greater number of people than
many pieces of legislation do, and I hope that we can represent as many
of their views as possible in the final legislation. Thank you,
Mr.
Gale.
Andrew
George: Further to that point of order, Mr.
Gale. I thank you and Mr. Pope. I also associate myself with
the thanks and appreciation that the Minister and the hon. Member for
Newbury have expressed to all those involved in the preparation
and guiding of the process, which we have frankly simply
been fronting? Many organisations have been passionately campaigning
for and supporting the process. I also associate myself with the views
expressed about the late Lord
Kingsland. During the
proceedings, I have not sought to enforce the favour that I believe the
Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs still
owes me, but I thank and congratulate him and the Under-Secretary of
State for Scotland on the manner in which they have conducted
themselves, which has made the proceedings a great deal more
constructive and has been beneficial to the
legislation. My final
point is to repeat that this is a very important piece of legislation.
We have merely completed the Committee debates. I urge the
Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, in
speaking to business managers and on Report, to remember that a number
of issues raised during these debates still remain. They
concern local accountability and ensuring that the MMO and
Natural England do not micro-manage local circumstances and also that
the local authorities have a role in this and that we get, and test
that we have, the right and fair balance between conservation and
socio-economic consequences. There are also still the issues of
ensuring that the Bill has a real impact beyond the six-mile limit and
of compensation on the coastal margins, which needs teasing
out still
further. Once
the announcement has been made during the summer recess about the
boundaries of the IFCAs and the new authorities, residual issues may
well arise. We may need to come back to consider those issues on
Report, when I hope that there will be sufficient time to debate those,
and other, issues as well.
The
Chairman: I add my thanks to the Committee for the
courteous and exemplary manner in which these affairs have been
effectively conducted. It always occurs to me that it is a great pity
that more members of the public do not see the real work of the House
of Commons in Committee. If people saw these kinds of proceedings, they
might take a rather different view of the House. It is a sad fact that
there is no controversy here and not a
television camera in sight. I also add my thanks to the Officers of the
House, without whose assistance our proceedings would quite simply be
impossible. Question
put and agreed
to. Bill,
as amended, accordingly to be
reported. 12.25
pm Committee
rose.
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