Marine Wildlife Conservation (Hansard, 16 June 2004)

§ Mr. John Randall (Uxbridge) (Con)

I beg to move, That leave be given to bring in a Bill to amend the law relating to nature conservation and the protection of wildlife in respect of the marine environment; to provide enforcement powers for marine wildlife conservation to competent marine authorities; and for connected purposes.

In moving the Bill, I have feeling of déjà vu because I introduced a private Member's Bill with the same title after I was lucky enough to come top of the ballot in 2001. As was the case then, the Bill that I am introducing today enjoys support from all parties. Indeed, the enthusiasm in this place for stronger and better laws to protect and manage our seas is well illustrated by the fact that early-day motion 171 on "Protecting the Marine Environment", which I tabled at the beginning of the Session, again with cross-party support, has been signed by more than 300 members. Only two early-day motions have attracted more support this Session.

It is an especially apt time to consider the need for better marine conservation, given that the United Nation's world oceans day was celebrated last week. There is an increasing recognition around the globe that the oceans are not a limitless resource to be plundered at will. The UK can and should give a clear lead on how to manage the seas better.

The 2001 version of the Marine Wildlife Conservation Bill dealt specifically with the lack of proper protection for nationally important marine wildlife, but today I would like to consider the need for wider legislation to conserve marine wildlife and the marine environment.

Many hon. Members will be aware of the campaign that the Wildlife and Countryside Link is running. That body is a coalition of environmental non-governmental organisations, which include the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, WWF, wildlife trusts and the Marine Conservation Society. Link's campaign calls for comprehensive new laws that would do a variety of things to secure better protection for our seas.

A range of measures is needed to improve the management and protection of the marine environment. Central to that is the designation of nationally important marine wildlife sites, which was the subject of my private Member's Bill. More than 6,500 sites of special scientific interest around the United Kingdom offer protection to important wildlife on land, but there is no equivalent designation at sea, yet more than half our biodiversity is found in the marine environment. It is surely time to catch up and protect marine wildlife properly.

That is only one aspect of the new legislation that is necessary. Protection of marine species, wherever they are, must be strengthened, and proper resources must be made available to ensure that the law is rigorously enforced. The antiquated legislation that governs inshore fisheries needs an overhaul. Perhaps most fundamentally, we need a vision for how we plan future activities at sea. As well as teeming with sensitive and exciting wild creatures, the offshore environment is 779 increasingly being used for development and economic purposes, whether shipping, dredging for aggregates, identifying areas to develop renewable energy installations or more traditional activities, such as fishing.

A marine spatial planning framework would allow rational decisions to be made about areas that should be prioritised for development, for fisheries and for nature conservation.

I know from my own experience with the Marine Wildlife Conservation Bill mark one that a great many groups and organisations took an interest in my proposals, reflecting the fact that people make use of the sea in so many different ways. Inevitably, different organisations will sometimes have different priorities and emphases, and it is fair to say that not all the stakeholders had an entirely benign interest in my earlier Bill. However, a proper planning framework for the sea could allow potential conflicts to be resolved before they arose. It could also help to streamline the complex and outdated tangle of regulations currently governing the marine environment.

So what are the Government doing to take forward the objectives of my Bill? To be fair, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has been making the right noises on this agenda. I believe that the current Minister for the Environment and Agri-environment, the hon. Member for Scunthorpe (Mr. Morley), understands the need for better marine laws, and I think that he has been fighting his corner on that within the Government. His predecessor, the right hon. Member for Oldham, West and Royton (Mr. Meacher), was similarly helpful with my first Marine Wildlife Conservation Bill. Now, as a Back Bencher, he is a cosponsor of the Bill that I am introducing this afternoon. I am grateful for his support, then and now.

We all know that, if new Government legislation is to emerge, it needs to be supported across the various Departments and clear numerous hurdles. In this case, those hurdles might be the Department of Trade and Industry, the Department for Transport, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, the Treasury and, of course, we must not forget No. 10. I hope that these Departments are looking constructively at the need for marine laws, rather than trying to put obstacles in their path. Perhaps I am being unduly uncharitable, but I am disappointed not to see a Minister sitting on the Treasury Bench at the moment, in accordance with the normal procedure.

New marine legislation should be seen as an opportunity for those with an interest in the seas, not as a burden on them. The sea needs, and deserves, champions within the Government well beyond DEFRA. The Government now have an opportunity to demonstrate that they are truly committed to improving the protection of our seas. I believe that their review of marine nature conservation, which brought together interested Government Departments and stakeholders, will report soon. Let us hope so. I also hope that it will recommend that legislation is needed. If it does, Ministers should procrastinate no longer. We have seen a range of different reviews, reports and publications, 780 but it is now time to draw a line under the review stage and start on some legislation. Warm words become hot air if they are not followed up by action.

The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, chaired admirably by my right hon. Friend the Member for Fylde (Mr. Jack), reinforced the need for action in its recent report on the marine environment, and a very good report it was, too. In it, the Committee noted that the current legislative and institutional framework governing marine environmental protection is too fragmented and complex, which is to the detriment of both economic development and environmental protection". It went on to say: There is a pressing need to update both arrangements for marine nature conservation and for licensing for development and it may be necessary to do so through a wide-ranging Marine Act. A marine spatial planning system may prove necessary in order to manage the wide array of activities at sea. So the consensus is that new laws are needed, and this Bill is my contribution to that debate.

I know that my party is taking seriously the need for better management of the marine environment, and I am extremely grateful to my hon. Friend the Member for Croydon, South (Richard Ottaway) and other colleagues for giving their support to the Bill. I hope that the Government can now show the same desire to rise to the challenge. The time is ripe, and the support is there, in Parliament and in the country. As a maritime nation, we will be guilty of a real and lasting failure if we cannot now seize the chance to protect our marine heritage for future generations.

Question put and agreed to.

Bill ordered to be brought in by Mr. John Randall, Mr. Michael Meacher, Mrs. Helen Clark, Andrew Bennett, Andrew George, Richard Ottaway, Gregory Barker, Mr. Peter Atkinson, Mr. Peter Luff, Tim Loughton, Mr. Andrew Robathan and Mr. David Kidney.