Crown Estate (Wales) Bill [HL]
Debate between Lord Wilson of Sedgefield and Lord Moynihan
Lord Wilson of Sedgefield (Lab)
My Lords, as I have already set out, the Government believe that the Crown Estate, as it currently operates across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, provides the best outcomes for Wales and the wider United Kingdom. I will not repeat the arguments I set out earlier in this debate.
I thank the noble and learned Lord, Lord Thomas, again for his considered contributions to this debate. The amendment we are debating now—Amendment 5 —would permit the Crown Estate commissioners to exercise specified management and investment functions on behalf of Welsh Ministers.
I remind the House that existing statute provides the Crown Estate with independence and autonomy to set and achieve its goals. The Government believe that the Crown Estate should continue to operate in this way—as a commercial business independent from government—because it has shown itself to be a trusted and successful organisation with a proven track record in effective management. Even if the proposal in this amendment was being suggested for the Crown Estate in its current form, it would be important to ensure that independence was preserved in respect of any functions it took on behalf of Ministers.
More broadly, as I previously set out, the Government will continue to discuss these issues with the First Minister and the Welsh Government to ensure that Wales sees the full benefits of the Crown Estate.
Lord Moynihan (Con)
Before the noble and learned Lord, Lord Thomas, winds up, I completely endorse and agree with his views about co-operation. There is no doubt whatever that it is vital in the relationship between Wales and the United Kingdom in this context.
My arguments have not been principally political at any stage during Committee. My argument is that the lion’s share of the Crown Estate’s assets in Wales requires to be maximised in terms of economic value to Wales, and that there should be the overarching control and involvement of the Crown Estate as is currently set up. I believe that would be the most efficient and efficacious way of maximising the value of those assets in the Celtic Sea, and that was the reason that I pushed this argument so strongly, and not because of future political arrangements. After that project comes to fruition and benefits all concerned, there may well be an opportunity to look at the political realities that have been put forward by the noble Lord, Lord Wigley, and the noble and learned Lord, Lord Thomas.
I think that is the reason that the Government have taken the position they have, and I endorse it strongly: it is a cross-party view, but it is one that is driven—from my perspective—on the economic realities of those assets in Wales at this time. We should still make sure there is maximum co-operation between all interested parties, the Crown Estate and the locally interested parties in Wales, so that the projects we have been discussing in the context of this Bill are brought to fruition to the maximum economic benefit of both the United Kingdom as a whole and indeed Wales.