At stage 1 of the Bill process, the Committee is concerned with the general principles of the Bill. The Committee hopes to hold evidence sessions to inform its scrutiny of the general principles of the Bill during May, June and September 2009. To inform evidence sessions, the Committee has issued this call for written views inviting individuals and interested parties for comment on the stated purposes of the Bill and their likely impact.

The Committee would welcome submissions from individuals and organisations that clearly and concisely highlight views on the broad thrust of the policy proposals and flag up any particular areas of concern.

Additionally, the Committee would be interested to hear about any issues that respondents feel may have been omitted from the Bill or any alternative approaches to managing the marine environment other than those proposed by the Bill.

Comments do not have to cover all aspects of the Bill, only those proposals which are of interest or concern.

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