Rural Affairs and Environment Committee, 05 Mar 2008

Meeting date: Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Official Report 287KB pdf

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Petitions

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Lamlash Bay (No-take Zone and Marine Protected Area) (PE799)

We move on to consideration of petitions. Members have a paper before them outlining developments in three petitions that have been referred to the committee.

PE799 seeks to establish a no-take zone and marine protected area in Lamlash bay. A consultation is on-going in the general sense that one is being conducted on the subject of a community marine conservation area in Lamlash bay. The petitioner has asked the committee to keep the petition open while the consultation is undertaken and the legislation prepared to ensure that the promises are delivered. We have to decide today whether to close the petition in light of the cabinet secretary's announcement or keep it open, as requested by the petitioner.

If we keep the petition open, we will have to keep bringing it back on to the agenda. In view of the cabinet secretary's letter, it might be more appropriate to close the petition. When the proposed marine bill comes to this committee, it might be of interest to look back at the experience of this petition and, indeed, of those that we will talk about next. Do any members have a view?

I do not feel strongly about it either way, to be honest.

I am happy to accept the conveners' recommendation.

I suggest that the petition be closed, but that we register with the clerks the relevance that the issue might have to the marine bill discussions that we will have in the future.

I assume that we will communicate that to the petitioners.

Yes, that would be appropriate; we should thank them as well.

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Ship-to-ship Oil Transfers (Firth of Forth) (PE956 and PE982)

PE956 and PE982 relate to ship-to-ship oil transfers in the Firth of Forth. The petitions fall into the same category as the one that we have just discussed. On 1 February, Forth Ports plc announced that it was not proceeding with an application for ship-to-ship oil transfers in the Firth of Forth. The petitioners have asked that their petitions be kept open until new UK legislation is in place. Again, we have the same options: we can close the petitions in light of that announcement and the promise of legislation; or we can keep the petitions open until the legislation is delivered.

The second option is so open-ended as to be almost pointless, and in those circumstances I recommend that the petitions be closed, that both petitioners be thanked, and that we look back at the situation in the light of any marine bill that the Scottish Government introduces. Are we agreed?

Members indicated agreement.

It might be worth writing to the cabinet secretary and highlighting the fact that, in closing the petition, we are expecting the issue to be addressed in the context of any marine bill.

Okay. I do not know whether there is any point in writing to the UK Government in the same terms, but it will not do any harm.

I close the public part of the meeting.

Meeting continued in private until 12:41.