Clause 120
Marine and Coastal Access Bill [Lords]
12:00 pm
Richard Benyon (Shadow Minister, Environment, Food & Rural Affairs; Newbury, Conservative)
I beg to move amendment 17, in clause 120, page 81, line 23, at end add—
‘(6) The appropriate authority must inform any national representative body of sea users of the publication of orders designating MCZs.’.
I do not wish to be flippant, but, just for clarity, during the clause stand part debate a moment ago, the Minister referred to areas of refuse, as opposed to areas of refuge; he might wish to correct the record, because I hope that the Bill will avoid areas of refuse.
The amendment seeks to include a sixth subsection to the clause. By placing a duty on appropriate authorities to inform national representative bodies of MCZ designations, the amendment would allow sea users, via bodies such as the British Marine Federation and the Royal Yachting Association, to comment and give feedback on the proposed zones in a timely fashion.
The RYA is a national body for all forms of recreational and competitive boating. It represents dinghy and yacht racing, motor and sail cruising, rigid inflatable boats and sports boats, as well as powerboat racing, windsurfing, inland cruising and personal watercraft. The RYA manages the British sailing team and Great Britain was the top sailing nation in the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Olympic games. The RYA and the BMF are recognised by all Government offices as the negotiating bodies for the activities that they represent. The RYA has over 100,000 personal members, the majority of whom choose to go afloat for purely recreational, non-competitive pleasure on coastal and inland waters. An estimated further 500,000 boat-owners nationwide are members of over 1,500 RYA-affiliated clubs and class associations. That gives an indication of the importance of organisations such as the RYA and why they must be consulted.
As we heard during the previous clause stand part debate, there is unlikely to be any physical designation of MCZs in the sea itself through the use of buoys and such like. National representative bodies need to mark such areas on charts and communicate the locations of MCZs to their members and to local sea users. I should be grateful if the Minister could clarify whether such bodies will be properly consulted, and whether the amendment, which would require them to be consulted, is needed.