Richard Benyon (Shadow Minister, Environment, Food & Rural Affairs; Newbury, Conservative)

A very quick question for the Minister regarding subsection (2)(a) which refers to the Marine Management Organisation. When will the Minister bring forward details of the board and the chief executive of this new organisation? Can he tell us how many members of the Marine and Fisheries Agency have indicated that they are prepared to move to the new headquarters in Tyneside? Has a building been identified in Tyneside?

Huw Irranca-Davies (Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Marine and Natural Environment), Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Ogmore, Labour)

I have already put some clarity—as much as I can at the moment—on the record regarding the appointment of board members, the chief executive and the designate chairman who is now in place. I refer the hon. Gentleman back to the part of the debate where I put that on record.

On the transfer of existing Marine and Fisheries Agency staff to the MMO, we have already indicated that Tyneside will be the home of the new MMO, but we have not yet finalised the accommodation. We are still in discussion with MFA staff. In any significant relocation of that type, there is always a significant loss of headquarters staff due to family reasons and so on. I have previously made it clear that we are working very effectively with the MFA, its unions and its staff, and we will continue to do so. The chief executive post, as I previously mentioned, has already been advertised. The board members will follow on behind that. I am happy to write to the hon. Gentleman, if he would like further clarification. It is also worth saying that we are on target. The building that will be the home of the MMO will be chosen imminently, and we are still finalising the staff numbers to relocate.

Richard Benyon (Shadow Minister, Environment, Food & Rural Affairs; Newbury, Conservative)

I suspect that the Minister’s contentment in thinking that the Government are on target is a very optimistic state of affairs indeed. The MFA has very serious morale problems. My understanding is that very few staff have indicated thus far that they are willing to go. My concern is not only for them, but for the integrity of the new organisation, which must hit the ground running. We have a short time scale, and it is important that we transfer as much expertise as possible from the MFA to the MMO. It is a worry if we cannot  guarantee that we can get there. Will the Minister give us more assurances that he will engage with those people and give the ones whom we want to transfer an incentive to join the new organisation?

Roger Gale (North Thanet, Conservative)

Order. We are going very wide of the clause, but the Minister may respond, if he wishes.

Huw Irranca-Davies (Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Marine and Natural Environment), Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Ogmore, Labour)

Only in short, Mr. Gale. The level of engagement and consultation that we have had with the work force and the representative bodies is significant, intensive and ongoing. We have always recognised that in the relocation, there would be those who would choose not to relocate for either family or professional reasons. However, it is wrong for the hon. Member for Newbury wildly to suggest that we are not adequately ensuring that the transfer of ability and knowledge in the process through the MFA and the other organisations that will form part of the MMO is not being properly addressed.

Can I give the hon. Gentleman an assurance that we are on target? Yes, I can. Despite the time scale being one of the toughest and most challenging for the vesting of a new organisation, we are adhering to it. Can I assure him that the existing expertise, not only in terms of marine science, but fisheries, is adequately addressed? Yes, I can. That is not to say that it is not challenging. However, there could not have been a greater level of engagement than we have had and are continuing to have. We recognise that the existing expertise in the MFA will need to be transferred effectively, and that new expertise will need to be brought in. It is important to remember that the MMO is not the MFA; it is not even the MFA-plus or a super MFA. It is a new organisation that builds on the expertise in the MFA, and significantly augments and expands the expertise into a range of areas. Within its new home, the organisation will expand and reach out to all the areas of expertise that we will need, not least in marine science.

I understand that the hon. Gentleman wants to represent the concerns of those who did not want to move, or did not want to move to that location, but I urge him not to undermine what has been a strong, concerted and thorough process to engage with the affected individuals. Those who have chosen not to move have been at the forefront of our concerns to ensure that their careers are looked after and that their expertise is not lost to the wider DEFRA family or elsewhere.