Ann McKechin (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Scotland Office; Glasgow North, Labour)

I beg to move amendment 25, in clause 319, page 223, line 41, leave out subsection (2).

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

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.

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

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 (St Ives, Liberal Democrat)

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.

Roger Gale (North Thanet, Conservative)

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.