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Marine and Coastal Access Bill [HL]

It is interesting to consider the powers of enforcement officers and I was glad to hear what the noble Baroness, Lady Miller, had to say. Quite a lot of these powers will have to be exercised in the Scottish area by the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency. On the question of powers, there is a strange phrase in the clause whereby officers have powers of "hot pursuit". If someone misbehaves in their area, officers can follow them wherever they go. If officers near the border of their area see someone misbehaving on the other side of the line, it seems that they will probably have to telephone the MMO and say, "Would you empower me to chase this person?". Has the Minister any views on how the officers would carry out those tasks?