Hansard

As the marine plan lays out, and as was discussed with the Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee, although we are willing to review the wording, as I agreed with the committee in line with its recommendations, we want repairs to any cables to be carried out as quickly as possible. When it comes to laying new cables underground, processes must be followed, but we want those to be timely, so that matters are not held up.

Key to some of the objectives that I have just laid out are the general policies and objectives which form the marine plan’s core. Those reflect the high-level marine objectives agreed not just in Scotland but across the whole of the UK; they also reflect the descriptors of good environmental status that flow out of Europe’s marine strategy framework directive. That ensures that the plan is consistent with existing UK and European frameworks while reflecting our ecosystem’s needs.

The plan also aligns with the guiding principles of sustainable development, which include achieving a sustainable economy, promoting good governance, using sound science, creating a strong, healthy and just society and, as I have said, living within our environmental limits. I very much welcome the committee’s endorsement of that approach.

The general policies highlight the need for sound science, too. A good evidence base is crucial to making the correct decisions. I am very proud of the development of “Scotland’s Marine Atlas: Information for the National Marine Plan” and the evolution of the national marine plan interactive, which enables more than 500 spatial data layers to be made available to planners online. That supports the committee’s proposal that that should be at the centre of marine planning.

We are, however, committed to commissioning new science and research to support on-going developments and our understanding of environmental impacts. New information will be made available online as widely as possible and will inform the monitoring and reviewing of the plan in the times ahead.

The policies also highlight adaptive management, which is critical to development of the decision-making processes in future—another issue that the committee raised with me when I appeared before it. We cannot ever have perfect knowledge; we must always consider the evidence and adapt our approaches to ensure that the outcomes are the ones that we want.

The policies also promote an understanding of the cumulative impact of projects and developments so that the sum of all activities in an area remains within that area’s environmental limits. Marine planning provides a single framework that enables all that evidence to be considered in the round—a framework that I believe both provides clarity and allows for flexibility and adaptation to changing circumstances.

The planning process is also an opportunity for participation and discussion of the evidence and for different perspectives and interests to be represented. The process of planning for marine protected areas and renewables demonstrates that fact—there has been a great deal of public interaction and engagement, and the proposals are evidence based and take account of the experience and views of local communities—but we will continue to explore ways to improve on the process and build up even more evidence to ensure that we are reflecting up-to-date knowledge.

I have been clear throughout the process that we require to strike a number of delicate balances. Scotland’s seas are diverse; so are the many and varied activities that take place on our coasts, under the sea bed and throughout the water column. It is challenging to develop a plan that is comprehensive and clear but which remains user-friendly and allows for a range of diversity. I believe that the plan strikes the balance appropriately, notwithstanding the fact that I am open to making changes before adopting the final plan in line with the committee’s recommendations.

The engagement that we have had so far has been very influential. A pre-consultation draft was issued in 2011, prior to formal consultation in 2013; more than 30 public meetings were held; and there have been on-going discussions within the marine strategy forum and in other forums, too.

Let us take one example from the past few weeks that perhaps sums up the need to strike an appropriate balance. The committee reflected its view on the need to protect fishing, but the need to control fishing was the focus of Highland Council’s response to the consultation on the management of marine protected areas. There are also a number of debates about the benefits of the oil and gas sector and our aquaculture industries versus the need to transition to renewable energy and control the environmental impact of aquaculture. Therefore, although we are looking for a single framework and consistency, we must acknowledge that we have to be flexible.

On adoption, the national marine plan will be the first statutory national plan in all of these islands. The first plan was for the east marine region of English waters, but ours is the first national plan. Our approach is distinct. We have sought to ensure sufficient consistency for industries that operate at a United Kingdom, European and global level, and we are currently discussing the monitoring and reviewing of the plan with colleagues in the Marine Management Organisation in Newcastle. Those discussions will feed into the next cycle of planning.

I remain committed to the development of regional planning, in line with our belief that those most affected by decisions should be as closely involved as possible in the decision-making process. Regional planning will be evolutionary, and there are legitimate questions about governance structures and resources. We will work hard on those questions in the times ahead, but we are phasing the roll-out and starting with marine planning partnerships in Shetland and in Clyde—two very different areas, which both have a strong history of dealing with marine issues. The lessons will be learned and taken forward in developing the other regions.

In conclusion, I hope that what I have said so far demonstrates that I recognise the balance that the national marine plan must strike. I am happy to reflect further on any particular issues, but I close by reiterating that we need to act now to get a framework in place that will demonstrate Scotland’s commitment to improve the management of our seas, a framework that will demonstrate our commitment to the marine environment and marine industries alike, and a framework that will provide for truly sustainable development of the wonderful marine resources in our Scottish waters.

I move,

That the Parliament notes that the draft National Marine Plan sets out the Scottish Government’s vision for the sustainable development of Scotland’s seas; further notes that the general policies in the draft plan provide an important framework to deliver the sustainable development of Scotland’s seas and are a crucial part of the process toward their better management at both regional and national level, and recognises the consultation and engagement process that has led to widespread stakeholder buy-in.