Chamber and committees

Where communities are supportive, ministers will consider proposals for a Marine National Park once the work to improve the wider legislative framework for the marine environment is completed. The proposals for Scottish Marine Regions may fulfil some of the purposes of a marine national park and I would anticipate that the proposed Scottish Marine Regions will consider this issue.

There will be no compulsory redundancies. Some staff have elected to take advantage of early severance/retirement opportunities offered as part of a wider recent Scottish Government initiative to achieve efficiency savings. Although the final outcome of that process will not be known until the end of the year, to date 16 staff have indicated acceptance of the early severance/retirement terms offered to them. Any other staff affected by restructuring as a consequence of the move to Marine Scotland will be re-deployed either within Marine Scotland or elsewhere.

The Marine Strategy Forum is to be established to help ensure that Marine Scotland, its delivery partners and stakeholders work together on an integrated basis towards our overall purpose and our vision for our marine and coastal environments. More detailed arrangements are being worked up for the forum, which we aim to establish by July 2009.

The first meeting of the Science Advisory Board will be arranged as soon as the membership has been established.

The proposals in the Marine (Scotland) Bill include provisions for marine plans with marine ecosystem objectives. These will need to be developed to meet the requirements of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive and in the context of any agreed Marine Policy Statement. It is too early to say what they will be.

The Marine (Scotland) Bill does not include a specific duty to promote the recovery of the marine ecosystem. The marine ecosystem is dynamic and marine management needs to recognise that. The Marine Strategy Framework Directive requires measures to be taken to achieve good environmental status. Marine Scotland will lead on implementation of the Directive in Scotland''s seas using new marine planning proposals in the Marine (Scotland) Bill and other mechanisms.

The Marine (Scotland) Bill includes proposals for powers for Scottish ministers to create Scottish Marine Regions.

We will take steps to set up Scottish Marine regions after appropriate legislation is in place.

The marine licensing regime will be simplified where possible through provisions proposed within the Marine (Scotland) Bill.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-22745 on 8 May 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

The Marine (Scotland) Bill proposes order making powers for ministers to create Scottish Marine Regions. The Financial Memorandum accompanying the Bill provides an estimate of the cost but no specific allocation has been made over the next two years.