Marine Bill

A Command Paper was laid before Parliament on 25 September 2008, providing the Government's response to the pre-legislative scrutiny and public consultation on the draft Marine Bill. The document responds to reports by two parliamentary Committees: the Ad Hoc Joint Committee on the draft Marine Bill, and the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee on the draft Marine Bill: Coastal Access Provisions. The Command Paper also responds to the feedback we received from the public consultation on the draft Bill, which ran from 3 April to 26 June 2008. I am grateful to the Committees which scrutinised the draft Bill and to members of the public for their comments and recommendations. Responses to the draft Bill have largely been positive, reflecting the wide support for action to protect our marine resources now and for future generations. The reports by the two parliamentary Committees, and the views expressed during the public consultation, are helping us to improve our proposals in this area. Subject to the availability of parliamentary time, the Government now intend to introduce a Bill to:"establish and properly resource the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) to deliver marine functions in the waters around England and in the UK offshore area (for matters that are not devolved); and ensure it has a clear purpose;""take forward the proposed new marine planning system, amending the draft Bill to introduce a requirement on policy authorities to periodically review the marine policy statement (MPS); make the MPS subject to a similar parliamentary process as national policy statements; and ensure marine plan authorities are under an obligation to do what they can to ensure compatibility with plans on land;""improve the provisions on licensing by requiring each appropriate licensing authority to establish an appeals mechanism and by setting out detailed transitional arrangements;""amend the draft Bill provisions relating to nature conservation in various ways to provide greater clarity and certainty, including through conferring a statutory duty on Ministers to designate marine conservation zones and setting out other functions and responsibilities on the face of the draft Bill;""continue with our plans to strengthen the management of marine fisheries, including by replacing Sea Fisheries Committees with newly created inshore fisheries and conservation authorities, and to strengthen powers for the licensing and management of migratory and freshwater fisheries;""streamline and modernise enforcement powers ensuring enforcement officers are appropriately trained; provide a power to establish an appeals process for statutory notices under the licensing provisions; and provide guidance that the maximum level of fixed monetary penalty will be capped at £5,000; and""place a duty on the Secretary of State and Natural England to secure a long distance route and land available for open-air recreation, including through amending the draft Bill to require Natural England to conduct a review of early implementation and to report to Parliament after 10 years." Copies of the Command Paper have been placed in the Library of the House. The document can also be found on the website of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs along with a summary of consultation responses.