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UK Government's Marine BillUK Government’s draft Marine Bill The UK Government’s draft Marine Bill was published on 3 April 2008. The aim of the Bill is to provide a framework to regulate marine activities to ensure sustainable use and protection of marine resources and to safeguard clean, healthy, safe, productive and biologically diverse oceans and seas. The Bill sets out in legislation the proposals which were widely supported in A Sea Change, the UK Government’s White Paper published in March 2007. The draft Bill includes provisions for marine planning; marine licensing; marine nature conservation; marine fisheries; establishment of a Marine Management Organisation; migratory and freshwater fisheries and coastal access. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has lead responsibility for taking forward work associated with the introduction of the Bill and the current consultation. Not all the proposals in the draft Bill will apply to the whole of the UK. However, the UK Government and devolved administrations work together to manage the marine environment in a joined-up way and each administration will decide on the most appropriate way to implement change within its area and remit. The Environment Minister intends to take forward similar proposals in Northern Ireland using a combination of the UK Bill and a Northern Ireland Assembly Bill. Northern Ireland is included in the draft UK Bill for the provisions relating to the Marine Policy Statement (one of two aspects of marine planning) and reformed marine licensing insofar as it relates to the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985 and marine aggregates extraction. With the exception of coastal access, which is not being considered in Northern Ireland at this time, and marine fisheries management which is a matter for the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, all other aspects, including a suitable delivery mechanism, will be considered in the context of local policy development and consultation culminating in a Northern Ireland Assembly Bill in due course. Full details of the draft Marine Bill and associated Impact Assessment can be found on the Defra website or the consultation documents can be downloaded here: Draft Marine Bill and Explanatory Notes (1mb) Draft Marine Bill impact assessment (616kb) Draft Marine Bill Policy Document (556 kb) DEFRA letter to consultees (38kb) Consultation on the draft Marine Bill will close on 26 June 2008 and all views should be sent to Defra: Marine Bill Team or email: MarineBillTeam@defra.gsi.gov.uk |
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