Executive summary and how to respond

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Executive summary

The UK Government proposes to legislate to reinforce the Port Marine Safety Code, to improve the management of the General Lighthouse Fund and the powers of the General Lighthouse Authorities and to enable the ratification of the International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks 2007. Views are sought on the proposed measures.

A draft Bill is published as Annex A to this consultation document with the following measures:

  • enabling the Secretary of State to provide for harbour authorities to give general directions to shipping;
  • permitting the Secretary of State to provide for competent harbour authorities to relinquish their powers and duties relating to pilotage where they are no longer required;
  • strengthening and clarifying the existing provisions for pilotage exemption;
  • enabling the Secretary of State to direct harbour authorities that appear to bedischarging their duties unsafely;
  • providing a power for the Secretary of State to designate National Occupational Standards for Harbour Masters and pilots;
  • providing a simpler means for harbour authorities to relinquish their powers and duties in certain circumstances;
  • redefining the powers of the General Lighthouse Authorities to operate beyond UK territorial waters and to undertake commercial work where this will bring in additional money to fund their statutory duties;
  • providing the Secretary of State with a power to make alternative arrangements for pensions for staff of the General Lighthouse Authorities;
  • providing the General Lighthouse Authorities with powers to enforce their duties with respect to the supervision of Local Lighthouse Authorities;
  • updating the methods of marking wrecks available to the authorities with statutory responsibility for this work; and
  • providing for the ratification of the International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks 2007 to provide a uniform legal basis for locating, marking and removing wrecks which pose a hazard to navigation or the marine environment and recovering associated costs from the shipowner.

The Government also invites views on possible legislation to update the existing tax exemption for the General Lighthouse Fund and to improve the ability of the General Lighthouse Authorities to enforce their inspections of non-statutory aids to navigation.

How to respond

The consultation period began on 6 May 2008 and will run until 25 July 2008. Please ensure that your response reaches us by that date. If you would like further copies of this consultation document it can be found at:

http://www.dft.gov.uk/consultations

or you can contact the Department for Transport at the address below.

Please send consultation responses to:

Tony McMillan
Draft Marine Navigation Bill Consultation
Zone 2/34 Great Minster House
76 Marsham Street
London SW1P 4DR

Telephone: 020 7944 2912
Fax: 020 7944 2186
Email: mnbill.consultation@dft.gsi.gov.uk

When responding please state whether you are responding as an individual or representing the views of an organisation. If responding on behalf of a larger organisation please make it clear who the organisation represents, and where applicable, how the views of members were assembled.

A list of statutory organisations/stakeholders that we have sent this consultation to is included in this consultation document. If you have any suggestions of others who may wish to be involved in the consultation process please let us know.

This consultation has been produced in accordance with the principles of the Government’s “Code of Practice on Consultation”.

According to the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, all information contained in your response to this consultation may be subject to publication or disclosure. This may include personal information such as your name and address. If you want your response or your name and address to remain confidential, you should explain why confidentiality is necessary. Your request will be granted only if it is it is consistent with Freedom of Information obligations. An automatic confidentiality disclaimer generated by your email system will not be regarded as binding on the Department.

A summary of responses to this consultation will be published on our website: http://www.dft.gov.uk/consultations after the consultation period has closed. Paper copies will be available on request. The Government will then announce its conclusions following the consultation.

Consultations