Clause 118
Marine and Coastal Access Bill [Lords]
6:00 pm
David Jones (Shadow Minister, Wales; Clwyd West, Conservative)
I am sure that the Minister can assist the Committee on a practical point about clause 118(1), which provides:
“An order under section 116 must identify the boundaries of the area designated”
as a marine conservation zone. Presumably, the designation, so far as the order is concerned, will be by means of a map or plan attached to the order. As my hon. Friend the Member for Newbury pointed out earlier, MCZs might be enormous areas of sea, and it would be helpful if the Minister were to indicate how those areas will be designated and defined, if at all, on the water.
This matter is of some importance given that MCZs will, in many cases, be contiguous, and it may be of further importance given that, in some cases, they may be designated by different designating authorities. I have in mind the Dee estuary, where the authority would be Welsh Ministers on one side but not on the other, and I am sure that my hon. Friend the Member for Broxbourne would make a similar, forceful point regarding the Severn estuary. It would be helpful if the Minister explained how that practical issue of designation will be tackled once the Bill has been enacted.