Member

That is why I wanted to talk also to Amendment 47, which refers to offshore energy installations. We have already heard about the impact on the marine environment. I signed off the largest number of marine conservation zones this country has ever had. I did some of that deliberately—working around situations such as Dogger Bank—conscious of our needs as a country to also make progress with energy development. Nevertheless, despite the intricacy there—the science continues to evolve and there are plenty of records looking into that—one of the things that often gets lost, but which I managed to get into the previous Government’s industrial strategy, was not only the impact of offshore but the impact of offshore energy onshore. That is particularly true in the areas around Saxmundham, Aldeburgh and Walberswick, which are part of Ramsar sites and international designations that are almost beyond belief anywhere in the United Kingdom; they are probably the most protected areas.