Speeches by Gardiner.

“Absolutely. Before DESNZ published its consultation on building the North sea’s energy future last month, what input did you have?”

“I was asking you for the good things that you are trying to do ahead of time while pointing out that some good things have already been done that you have not yet implemented. You did undertake to do so by the end of last year and of course good ecological status was promised by 2020, and we still do not have it. We co…”

“You did not have any input into that consultation document.”

“Absolutely. Before DESNZ published its consultation on building the North sea’s energy future last month, what input did you have?”

“No, I am asking you specifically about this consultation document. I am asking you about that because, while it focuses on environmental considerations in terms of oil and gas, it does not recognise the challenges of marine spatial planning or the environmental impact of renewable energy developments and the wider envi…”

“No, I am asking you specifically about this consultation document. I am asking you about that because, while it focuses on environmental considerations in terms of oil and gas, it does not recognise the challenges of marine spatial planning or the environmental impact of renewable energy developments and the wider envi…”

“That is if I can remember the question; I have so many. When we are considering features-based MPAs, it seems to me that when you talk about the seabirds, for example, that is the feature on which it was designated. It is immobile. The seabirds are in that spot for a particular reason, usually because it is feeding gro…”

“We heard that there might be alternate MPAs providing that, but of course the MPAs that we have established were the ones that were most important for those features and, therefore, to get that elsewhere will be difficult. [Interruption.]”

“We have had talk at the Committee of changing the designation so that we could put in, for example, windmills. Look, I am all in favour of our renewables targets, but I want to get clarity on this.”

“Under Natura 2000?”

“You could write to the Committee about that, but I wanted to pick up on the feature basis. You said about making sure that the MPAs were in the right place. The fact that they have been done on a feature basis ensures that they are in the right place because you are designating the protection of the feature that is the…”

“Yes, but, for five of them, the feature that is being protected is seabirds. Is that not correct?”

“Five, is it not?”

“Minister Hardy, can I start by picking up what you said about seabirds? We have 377 MPAs in the UK—about 200 in England alone. Do you know how many of them are protected for seabirds?”

“Thank you. For an offshore wind project, there are separate processes for seabed leasing, marine consents, landfall and the onshore construction activity, but there is very little opportunity for the affected communities to participate in the decision making until the operations go through the terrestrial planning, whi…”

“Okay. How is the 45 to 50 GW that the Government have predicated of offshore wind by 2030 influencing your leasing process? How are you co-ordinating with Government to ensure that those leases are available? How are you doing it in such a way that it is not impacting on marine protected areas that are already establis…”

“We will come to the local considerations in a minute.”

“Thank you. I would like to do a Bamber Gascoigne and divide you up, give you each your starter for 10, but with no conferring on the next one. Whereas one of you is responsible for the licensing and the seabed, and owning the leases, it is the regulator that does the statutory planning. What I want to know is how you c…”

“Yes, of course. I was asking what involvement you had had in that consultation document.”

“Ms Thomas, what about yourselves?”