IMarEST Responds to Marine Bill Consultation

In all IMarEST make over a dozen key points in our submission, including specific comments about the independent development of policies by devolved administrations; the need to avoid different geographical areas having different targets, indicators, plans, measures and being organised by different agencies - the organisation are great believers in the benefit of 'joined up thinking'; and the TAC remains concerned about the omission of crown dependencies and British overseas territories from the Marine Bill.

Graham Hockley, Director, Policy and Professional Affairs, IMarEST, adds that the IMarEST TAC is also concerned about the omission of the oil and gas industry from the Bill in a number of ways that we expand upon in our submission; members also want to see an iterative approach to link the regional strategies with marine planning and port development; they want the accessibility to data addressed and the increasing commercialisation of data. IMarEST also has significant concerns that both the human and financial resources allocated will prove inadequate for the activities expected of the Marine Management Organisation (MMO); wants to see the Marine Data and Information Network (MEDIN) as a major partner in the MMO; and also believes there should be memoranda of understanding between the MMO and Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish equivalent organisations. "Finally, and significantly, we believe that the £181m calculated for marine planning may be inadequate, given past marine experience, potentially undermining the whole process of planning."

The response represents the view of the TAC, not necessarily the views of the IMarEST membership as a whole. IMarEST also adds its support and endorsement to the submissions made by the Interagency Committee for Marine Science and Technology, the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton; and Maritime UK.

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