TAKING FORWARD THE MARINE BILL

That this House welcomes the publication of the Government's Command Paper Taking Forward the Marine Bill; further welcomes the Prime Minister's inclusion of the Bill in the draft legislative programme for 2008-09; acknowledges the work of Wildlife and Countryside Link, a coalition of environmental organisations including the Marine Conservation Society, the RSPB, The Wildlife Trusts and WWF-UK for their ongoing campaign for a Marine Bill; notes that robust legislation is needed to secure effective management and protection of UK seas; encourages the Government to include the necessary statutory duties in the Bill to safeguard the effective implementation of its proposals; urges the Government to continue the dialogue with the devolved administrations to ensure that marine legislation is coherent across borders; and calls on the Prime Minister to include this Bill in the Queen's Speech and to introduce it into Parliament at the earliest opportunity.