Clause 1 - Marine sites of special interest
Marine Wildlife Conservation Bill
10:30 am
Mr Simon Thomas (Ceredigion, Plaid Cymru)
I was involved in consultation with a group of fishermen in Pwllheli off the north Wales coast, and that process took some three to four months. The process should not drag on too long, but the legislative framework should allow more than a month. I believe that three months is a reasonable period for interested parties to make their views known; and three months is long enough also for the designation decision to be made by the Secretary of State or the National Assembly for Wales. As the hon. Gentleman suggested, it is important that fishermen and other interests looking to use the marine environment should know whether or not a designation has been made; and flowing from that whether a management plan has been put in place.
It is important that there should be consultation, and three months is a reasonable period. It is also important that stakeholders are involved throughout in putting together the management plan. It is reasonable to allow three months in the context of designation, and the amendment represents a significant improvement on the Bill. It is important to involve stakeholders all the way down the line. The Bill makes no provision for that, but it will be taken into account in the work of the Countryside Council for Wales, English Nature and the Secretary of State. I hope that the Secretary of State will bear the hon. Gentleman's comments in mind if the Bill gets a fair wind and becomes law.