---

Marine and Coastal Access Bill [HL]

My Lords, we come back to by-laws governing the restriction of vessels from entering MCZs. Under the Bill, only recreational vessels are subject to this restriction, which I queried in Committee. In his response, the Minister said that recreational vessels had to be singled out because the Government were under international obligations not to restrict entry for any other vessel, which includes shipping. It has since become clear that the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea allows the Government to restrict entry to or passage through marine conservation zones to all vessels, not just recreational ones. In the light of that, I wonder whether the Government have had a chance to rethink in terms of it being inequitable to single out recreational vessels when they have the power to restrict all vessels. I beg to move.