Download or read book Draft Marine Bill Report and formal minutes written by Great Britain. Parliament. Joint Committee on the Draft Marine Bill and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2008 with total page 158 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Marine Bill was designed to establish a new UK-wide strategic system of marine planning to balance conservation, energy and resource needs, based on the principle of sustainable development and working with the devolved administrations. The Committee reports here reservations about the framework nature of the draft Bill. It was felt that too much of its policy is contained in secondary legislation or guidance. That there are significant areas of confusion of responsibility - between UK and international, especially EU, obligations; between devolved adminstrations; the many agencies and other bodies who will be involved in delivering the proposals in the Bill.

Download or read book Draft Marine Bill written by Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2008 with total page 48 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Government published its Draft Marine Bill on 3 April 2008 as Cm 7351 (ISBN 9780101735124). The Government proposes to legislate to give people right of access on foot all around the English coast. The Committee remains dissatisfied about the uncertainty that surrounds the process of pre-legislative scrutiny as exemplified by this case. The Committee was surprised at the vague and uncommunicative way that the Government deals with the House in preparing for such scrutiny. When the Government is preparing draft bills in the future, it should inform the Liaison Committee which should recommend, in consultation with the relevant departmental select committee, how pre-legislative scrutiny should be conducted. The Bill places too much emphasis on trusting Natural England to "get it right" in terms of determining the alignment of the route and extent of spreading room; landowners and occupiers, in particular, are entitled to more concrete safeguards especially as the Government intends to strike a "fair balance" between public and private interests. The lack of a formal appeal process is a fundamental weakness of the Bill. The Committee is still to be convinced that £5 million a year for 10 years is enough to create access land all around England. The Government should also clarify responsibility for long-term maintenance before the Bill is introduced. The more detail Natural England can provide early on about how it intends to implement the policy in common coastal scenarios will reduce concerns. Natural England should produce a detailed draft of its Scheme before Parliament starts to consider the Bill. Natural England should have a statutory duty written into the Bill to conduct a review of the lessons it has learned from early implementation of the proposals.

Download or read book The Draft Marine Navigation Bill written by Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Transport Committee and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Draft Marine Navigation Bill was published on 6 May 2008. (Cm. 7370, ISBN 9780101737029 ). A supplementary consultation on the ratification of the Nairobi Convention on the Removal of Wrecks, for which the draft Bill includes the necessary statutory provisions, was published at the same time by the Department for Transport. The Bill covers four main areas: (a) port safety, including measures relating to pilotage, National Occupational Standards for Harbour Masters and pilots, and extending powers of general direction to more harbour authorities; (b) the closure of harbours, and the subsequent relinquishing of the legal rights and duties of the harbour authority; (c) the role of the General Lighthouse Authorities, including their powers of enforcement, the territorial extent of their operations, their commercial work and their pension schemes; and (d) the ratification and implementation of the Nairobi Convention. The introduction of new powers to issue directions to port and harbour authorities and to specify minimum standards of competence for harbour masters and pilots is supported. The provisions relating to General Lighthouse Authorities are a sensible package intended to clarify their powers and put beyond doubt the legal validity of much of the essential work which they have been carrying out for centuries. The provision in the draft Bill to give statutory effect Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks will remove from the UK taxpayer a significant potential liability in respect of wrecks in UK waters.

Download or read book Proposals for a Draft Marine Bill written by Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Environmental Audit Committee and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 111 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Committee's report examines the Government's proposals for a new Marine Bill, as set out in its consultation paper (details are available at http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/latest/2006/water-0329.htm) published in March 2006, which proposes an integrated framework for the management of the marine environment, designed to deliver clean, healthy, safe, productive and biologically diverse oceans and seas. The report considers a range of issues under the following headings: the legislative background to the Bill and its planned timetable; the scope of the Bill and its five key themes; the consultation process, the work of Defra and liaison with other departments; devolution issues; marine spatial planning and a new marine management organisation; marine protected areas; and data issues.

Download or read book The Marine Policy Statement written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2011-01-28 with total page 44 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Committee welcomes the production of the Marine Policy Statement as the first step in the implementation of marine planning in the UK. It is important that the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) must be properly funded to carry out its work in implementing the MPS and developing marine plans for English waters, and the Committee notes the announced cuts to the MMO's budget with concern. It is important that the MPS remains relevant and up-to-date if it is effectively to guide decision makers in the future, and significant changes to the evidence on which it is based must be reflected in the contents of the MPS, but reviews should not be unnecessary or costly. The report notes the concerns raised by consultees regarding the level of detailed guidance on the interaction between terrestrial and marine planning. The Committee comments on the absence of detailed guidance about policy priorities in the draft MPS, and feels it is essential that sufficient clarity is provided in individual marine plans. Finally, the Committee welcomes assurances that the fishing industry will not be adversely affected by implementation of the MPS, and will look to see that this is borne out in the development of marine plans.

Download or read book Draft Heritage Protection Bill written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Culture, Media and Sport Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2008 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In April 2008, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) published a Draft Heritage Bill and the Government has indicated that the Bill will be in next year's legislative programme. The Bill is designed to unify heritage protection regimes, allow greater public involvement in decisions, and place heritage at the heart of the planning system. The Committee has undertaken pre-legislative scrutiny of the bill but this was undermined by the incomplete nature of the legislation. The Committee also felt that the Government must prioritise the revision of Planning policy guidelines (PPGs) 15 & 16 to ensure that the new guidance on planning policy can be implemented at the same time as the Bill. Further serious issues of concern included the accuracy of current cost estimates & impact assessment and sufficient staffing with the necessary skills, in particular conservation officers. The Committee was also not convinced that Heritage Partnership Agreements (HPAs), a new system of management agreements for owners of large estates, were a robust business option. Nor could any evidence be found that either DCMS or English Heritage had considered any amendments to the legislation which would improve the operation or effectiveness of the enforcement powers for local authorities.

Download or read book The Stationery Office Annual Catalogue written by Stationery Office (Great Britain) and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 564 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Stationery Office Annual Catalogue 2011 written by Stationery Office and published by . This book was released on 2012-04-12 with total page 584 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Stationery Office annual catalogue 2011 provides a comprehensive source of bibliographic information on over 4900 Parliamentary, statutory and official publications - from the UK Parliament, the Northern Ireland Assembly, and many government departments and agencies - which were issued in 2011.

Download or read book Marine Pilotage written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Transport Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2013-03-07 with total page 78 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report questions whether the Department for Transport is striking the appropriate balance between its role as a regulator of port safety and its aim to promote the commercial attractiveness of UK ports. This follows evidence that most ports fail to confirm to Government that they comply with best practice guidance on port safety and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency has the resources to conduct just four port 'health checks' each year. Representatives of marine pilots, who guide ships in and out of ports, lack confidence that the Department for Transport understands their concerns and the requirements of their work and shares their aim of enhancing maritime safety. The Committee is opposed to a proposal, supported by Government, to relax the rules on the granting of pilotage exemption certificates to more junior navigating officers which could jeopardise safety. If the Government insists on pressing ahead with this change, the Committee recommends that the impact of the change should be monitored. Other recommendations include that: the Maritime and Coastguard Agency should broaden its safety inspection programme so that it undertakes eight inspections per annum; ports should be required to publish statistics on accidents and near-misses; the Government should use its influence to persuade harbour authorities to accept national standards as to who can be authorised as a pilot: if national standards are not adopted the case for legislation on this issue will be compelling.

Download or read book Legislative Scrutiny written by Great Britain. Parliament. Joint Committee on Human Rights and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 33 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Committee's eleventh report, HL 69/HC 396, session 2008-09 (ISBN 9780104425060) also discussed the Marine & Coastal Access Bill. Evidence is also presented concerning the Draft Coroner's Bill (Cm. 6849, ISBN 9780101684927). The Rt Hon Jack Straw's response to the Committee's thirteenth report on Prisoner transfer from Libya, (HL 71/HC 398, session 2008-09, ISBN 9780104425077) is included

Download or read book Beyond Stern written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Environmental Audit Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2007-07-30 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report is about how the Government: sets targets for reductions in UK green house gases; assess progress towards these targets by forecasting the likely levels of future emissions; choose policy instruments to deliver the requisite cuts in emissions; and revises its package of policies in the light of experience. It is two main parts, the first looks at the Climate Change Programme Review, whilst the second examines the proposed Climate Change Bill. The Climate Change Programme Review revealed a number of weaknesses in the UK climate change policy as it became apparent that the target of a 20% reduction in carbon emissions by 2010 would be missed. Revisions to the projection of emissions had not been done frequently enough, so by the time Ministers knew there were problems it was too late to introduce new measures. The programme is however likely to be rescued, somewhat, by Phase II of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, which promises to deliver some real savings. The draft Climate Change Bill, alongside other developments such as the creation of the Office of Climate Change and requirements of the Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Act 2006, are broadly well designed and a far-reaching responses to these issues.

Download or read book Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Environmental Audit Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2009-06-29 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An area of tropical forest the size of England continues to be lost each year. This gives rise to around 17 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, greater than global emissions from transport. Addressing deforestation is as essential as decarbonising electricity or transport if the world is to avoid dangerous climate change. A failure to act on deforestation could double the cost of avoiding dangerous climate change to 2030. Deforestation is caused by a range of factors, many of which are exacerbated by a growing global population and increasing consumption. Halting deforestation requires: (a) support for rainforest nations to help them manage their development so that it does not allow continued deforestation; (b) management of the demand for commodities whose production encourages deforestation; and (c) the introduction of a mechanism to pay developing countries for maintaining, and in due course recreating, their forests. The UK needs to act in all three areas if its policies on deforestation are to be successful. Ignoring any one undermines the effectiveness and durability of action in the other areas. As part of this work the Government must: remove subsidies that contribute to deforestation, such as biofuels policy; develop sustainability standards for agricultural commodities; implement and enforce government timber procurement; and, seek an EU-wide ban on illegal timber imports combined with robust sanctions. Illegal timber imports are still a fact of life within the UK timber trade. The economic, environmental and development case for immediate action on deforestation is clear. But success is possible only if the international community works together effectively.

Download or read book The work of the committee in 2007 written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2008-01-23 with total page 130 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Work of the Committee In 2007 : Third report of session 2007-08, report, together with formal Minutes

Download or read book Scrutiny of the draft legislative programme written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Select Committee on Modernisation of the House of Commons and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2008-01-23 with total page 64 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report, from the Select Committee on Modernisation of the House of Commons, presents the first inquiry into the Governance of Britain, all issued as Command Papers and published in 2007: (Cm. 7170, ISBN 9780101717021; Cm. 7175, ISBN 9780101717526; Cm. 7192, ISBN 9780101719223; Cm. 7210, ISBN 9780101721028; Cm. 7231, ISBN 9780101723121; Cm. 7235, ISBN 9780101723527; Cm. 7239, ISBN 9780101723923). It considers Parliament's role in scrutinising the proposed legislative programme, including arrangements for publication and debate as well as wider consultative strategies. The Committee has set out a number of conclusions and recommendations, including: the Committee believes that the use of plain English in the Draft Legislative Programme is to be commended, and the Government should consider extending the approach to programmed Bills on a trial basis; that the Government's main non-legislative plans should be included in the Draft Legislative Programme, alongside the list of proposed bills, in order that a full programme of government is available for scrutiny; that there is a benefit to be derived from the presentation of the Government's legislative programme as a whole and that the Draft Legislative Programme should be published earlier in the year, preferably before Easter, so that select committee scrutiny and public consultation can be carried out more effectively; that the Draft Legislative Programme should be the subject of a separate debate in Parliament.

Download or read book Waste strategy for England 2007 written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2010-01-19 with total page 70 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Every year some 330 million tonnes of waste are produced in the UK. The direct costs of managing this waste-£2.5 billion annually for English household waste alone-are dwarfed by the costs of using new resources to replace discarded materials. The Government should, as a priority, set out a timetable with significantly raised targets for reducing the total amount of waste produced. The waste strategy focuses disproportionately on domestic waste, which contributes less than 10 per cent of all waste, while omitting firm targets for the commercial and industrial sectors which produce around a quarter of all waste. Defra must rectify this urgently. Funding cuts to services designed to help businesses manage their waste well are premature and should be re-evaluated and ways to extend such services to a wider range of organisations should be considered. Far too small a proportion of waste is re-used, recycled, composted or used to produce energy. Nearly half of all waste is still sent to landfill sites where it contributes to climate change, producing 3 per cent of the country's greenhouse gases and 40 per cent of its methane emissions. The Committee notes the so-called "Primark effect" which has led to large increases in the amount of clothing sent to landfill sites. Food waste is another significant component of waste sent to landfill sites and householders, food producers and retailers need to do more to reduce the amount of food discarded unnecessarily. Waste should only be used for energy recovery if it is not possible to re-use, recycle or compost it.

Download or read book Securing food supplies up to 2050 written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2009-07-21 with total page 76 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The long-term securing of the UK's food supplies is a fundamental responsibility of Government. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) must concentrate on building capacity in the food and farming industries so that they can respond to market signals in ways that will reduce the risk of food shortages. Producing sufficient food is only part of the challenge: how food is produced is equally important. The Committee notes that increases in production will have to take place in the context of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the food system, reducing reliance on fossil fuel-derived inputs, and conserving soil and water. Consumer engagement will be vital if Defra is to achieve its vision for the UK food system. The report does not advocate food self-sufficiency for the UK and emphasises the importance of strong trading relationships with a variety of countries. Defra's response to the challenge of securing food supplies must take place in a European and global context. The focus of the reformed Common Agricultural Policy must be on sustainable food production, whilst encouraging European farmers to make their contribution to meeting the world's future food demands. The Committee also highlights the development of "food colonialism" or "land grabbing"- a phenomenon that involves the large-scale acquisition of land overseas by wealthy investors in order to grow food for people in the investor country. The report also calls for an urgent increase in spending on public-sector food and farming research.

Download or read book Pre budget Report 2008 written by Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Environmental Audit Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2009 with total page 116 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report examines, firstly, the Treasury's response to recession. The fiscal stimulus measures intended to pull the economy out of recession represent an invaluable opportunity to transform the UK into a low carbon economy. But meeting climate change and renewable energy targets will require a step-change in environmental investment. This year's Pre-Budget Report announced a £535m package of green fiscal stimulus measures designed to tackle economic and environmental problems simultaneously. This investment is welcome, but the scale too small- most of this funding was already committed, and will be offset by reduced spending in 2010-11. Extra funding announced for the Warm Front programme will not deliver the scale and speed of change that is needed. Programmes aimed at improving the energy efficiency of existing buildings should be the number one priority for green fiscal stimulus. It is disappointing that the wider fiscal stimulus package contains hundreds of millions of pounds for road building and widening. The Treasury should publish an assessment of the net impacts of its fiscal stimulus package on the environment. The second part of the report looks at green taxation. In real terms, revenue from green taxes has gone down slightly since 1998, while revenue from all taxation has increased by around 30 per cent. On aviation taxes, the Committee criticise the Treasury's backtracking on replacing Air Passenger Duty with a 'per plane' charge, and exhorts the Government to seek reform of the Chicago Convention so as to allow taxation of international aviation fuel. On motoring taxes, it calls for re-examination of the merits and practicalities of a 'car scrappage' scheme to pay people to trade in their existing, older cars, for newer, more efficient models.