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Marine and Coastal Access Bill [HL]

I am very grateful to the noble Baroness for her helpful suggestions. The problem with accepting the amendment is that it almost qualifies what is meant by the term ““environment””. In seeking, as the noble Baroness rightfully does, to give greater clarity to the matters that will fall to be considered under this legislation, the problem is that, by defining it in the way proposed in the amendment, the definition is narrowed. We are facing that problem in a number of parts of the Bill. Responding on the more general principle, the noble Baroness is right to say that with this Bill, the Energy Act, the Planning Act and the Climate Change Act, it is a challenge to find one’s way through and to understand how they fit coherently together. However, the Government have deliberately brought these pieces of legislation through Parliament in close proximity. We see them as being consistent. I know that we have had a lively debate about the interrelationship between the NPS and the MPS and that that raises some difficult issues for noble Lords. None the less, the intent is clear—that these pieces of legislation act consistently together, albeit that the decisions that will have to be made will be tough at times and challenging. There will be tensions between the desirable aims of each piece of legislation.