Chamber and committees

I understand the onlyseal management group in Scotland is the Lismore Seal Management Group thatis convened by Scottish Natural Heritage. It should be noted that this is not aformal management group for Lismore Special Area of Conservation.I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-6190 on 21 November 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

The Lismore Seal Management Group is convened by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and had its first meeting in December 2004. I understand it began as a meeting involving representatives of fish farm companies and relevant authorities and that the membership was widened last year to include other organisations with a commercial interest in seals. The group discusses the management of seals and predator control at fish farms in the Lismore area. The group is not a formal management group for the Lismore Special Area of Conservation.

The organisations represented in the group are Argyll and Bute Council, Argyll Charter Boats Association, Argyll District Salmon Fisheries Board, Kames, Lochaber District Salmon Fisheries Board, Mainstream, Marine Harvest, Scottish Sea Farms, Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Sea Mammal Research Unit, SNH and Strathclyde Police.

The Scottish SealsForum and its sub-group, the Scottish Seals Working Group, were set up by the ScottishGovernment to bring stakeholders together to exchange information, relevant to the management ofScottish seal populations, and develop a co-ordinated approach. It is not itselfdirectly involved in seal management. The Scottish Government makes all final decisions about which individualsand organisations may be invited to join.

We do not currentlyconsider the localised management plans which Inshore Fisheries Groups will produceto be “qualifying plans or programmes” in terms of section 5 of the EnvironmentalAssessment (Scotland) Act 2005. However, we intend to encouragethe Inshore Fisheries Groups to prepare the plans in line with the principles ofstrategic environmental assessment. Statutory and non-statutory environmental organisationswill be represented on the advisory groups of the Inshore Fisheries Groups.

There is regular dialoguebetween the Scottish Government and a variety of UK Government Departments in relationto marine issues. In relation to the UK Marine Bill, officials attend the Department for Environment, Food and RuralAffairs’ Steering Group whichconsists of officials from UK departments and the devolved administrations,including the Scotland Office. This group has considered the proposals for UK marine legislation and the implications for Scotland, including the potential for further devolution.

As indicated in the answer to question S3W-3133 on 3 September 2007, it is my intentionto announce the Scottish Government’s plans for Scottish Marine Legislation in duecourse. At that point I will provide more information about the proposed consultation.

We consider relevantusers to mean the wide range of stakeholders with an interest in marine and coastalissues. This will include, but is not limited to, marine industries, stakeholdergroups, environmental NGOs, statutory agencies, local authorities, community organisationsand individuals, participants in the work of the Advisory Group on Marine and CoastalStrategy, and participants in the previous Parliament’s Environment and Rural DevelopmentCommittee marine inquiry.

I have already indicatedto the Parliament my support for the Advisory Group on Marine and Coastal Strategy(AGMACS) recommendation on extending the Parliament’s powers over the marine environment.I am currently considering Departmentfor Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ (Defra’s) proposals for a UK Marine Bill, and the implicationsfor Scotland, and officials are also actively discussingthe proposals with Defra.

Choosing Scotland’sFuture – A National Conversation, published in August, notes that acquisition by the Scottish Parliamentof responsibility for planning and nature conservation in the marine area between12 to 200 nautical miles would make possible a coherent approach to the managementof the seas around Scotland.

No new sub-committeeshave been formed from the Joint Ministerial Committee since 2002. Only one sub-committeecurrently meets, the Joint Ministerial Committee (Europe), which meets four to five times a year, a few weeks in advance of the EuropeanCouncil meeting in Brussels. The forthcoming UK and Scottish marine legislationhas not been discussed at these meetings.

The Scottish Governmentis contributing to the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) target ofestablishing marine protected areas by 2012 and the related target under the Oslo-ParisConvention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic(OSPAR) developing an ecologically coherent network of well managed marine protectedareas (MPA) by 2010. Under the range of criteria for selection of OSPAR MPAs contractingparties can report Natura 2000 protected areas as OSPAR MPAs.

The Scottish Governmenthas reported 31 marine Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) as OSPAR MPAs that provideprotection for marine features of interest to OSPAR and which meet the MPA criteriaestablished by OSPAR. Natura 2000 sites designated under the Birds and HabitatsDirectives that provide protection for marine features also contribute to WSSD commitments.

The Scottish Governmentwill keep under review whether other MPAs are required to complete our contributionunder WSSD and OSPAR.

I understand thatthe Scottish Biodiversity Forum Implementation Plan for 2008-10 is expected tobe finalised early in 2008. Consultation on the draft implementation plan andthe environmental report relating to the strategic environmental assessment of the implementation plan is planned to take place between November 2007 andJanuary 2008.