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Marine and Coastal Access Bill [HL]

I am enormously grateful for that latter contribution. I thought that my worst nightmare was about to be realised: the noble Lord, Lord Greaves, assailing me with his anxieties about sites of special scientific interest. Then the noble Lord, Lord Taylor, brought his insight to bear on land and sea issues in the Wash. Had the noble Lord, Lord Taylor, reinforced the position of the noble Lord, Lord Greaves, my nightmare would have been realised, and I am grateful that the noble Lord, Lord Taylor, has spoken so intelligently and perceptively about the issue. He has also, I think, reassured the noble Lord, Lord Greaves, who seemed to understand what the noble Lord, Lord Taylor, had to say. Let me make the most obvious point first. This Bill is a conservation measure to enhance protection of a significant part of our environment. As the noble Lord, Lord Greaves, indicated, that which we seek to do for the sea inevitably has an interrelationship with that which we already do for the land. Where the boundary is to be drawn is a matter of great difficulty and interest, and natural forces ensure that that boundary moves from time to time. I want to reassure the noble Lord that the decision on whether a site of special scientific interest should be denotified will be made by a conservation body, and that it will do so only on the basis of effective consultation with those who are concerned with these issues on land. When these bodies meet, they will not be distant government or arbitrary bodies concerned with issues other than conservation; they will be bodies concerned with conservation. We all know about the success of the sites of special scientific interest and we all know how jealously they are guarded, how much they are respected and how important they are to conservation on land. Is it conceivable that such sites would be threatened by the action of a conservation body which has responsibility for the contiguous marine part and is itself concerned about such protection?