Consultation on the Implementation of Detailed Rules on Electronic Recording and Reporting of Fishing Activities and on Means of Remote Sensing in Scotland

Annex A: INFORMATION ON YOUR CONSULTATION/INVITATION TO RESPOND

Responding to this consultation paper

We are inviting written responses to this consultation paper by 5 May 2008. Please send your response to:

Licensingandcompliance@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

or

Fax: 0131 244 6288

We would be grateful if you could clearly indicate in your response which questions or parts of the consultation paper you are responding to as this will aid our analysis of the responses received.

This consultation, and all other Scottish Government consultation exercises, can be viewed online on the consultation web pages of the Scottish Government website at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/consultations. You can telephone Freephone 0800 77 1234 to find out where your nearest public internet access point is.

The Scottish Government now has an email alert system for consultations ( SEconsult: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/consultations/seconsult.aspx). This system allows stakeholder individuals and organisations to register and receive a weekly email containing details of all new consultations (including web links). SGconsult complements, but in no way replaces SG distribution lists, and is designed to allow stakeholders to keep up to date with all SG consultation activity, and therefore be alerted at the earliest opportunity to those of most interest. We would encourage you to register.

Handling your response

We need to know how you wish your response to be handled and, in particular, whether you are happy for your response to be made public. Please complete and return the Respondent Information Form as this will ensure that we treat your response appropriately. If you ask for your response not to be published we will regard it as confidential, and we will treat it accordingly.

All respondents should be aware that the Scottish Government are subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 and would therefore have to consider any request made to it under the Act for information relating to responses made to this consultation exercise.

Next steps in the process

Where respondents have given permission for their response to be made public (see the attached Respondent Information Form), these will be made available to the public in the Scottish Government Library at the beginning of 2008. We will check all responses where agreement to publish has been given for any potentially defamatory material before logging them in the library or placing them on the website. You can make arrangements to view responses by contacting the SG Library on 0131 244 4565. Responses can be copied and sent to you, but a charge may be made for this service.

What happens next?

Following the closing date, all responses will be analysed and considered along with any other available evidence to help us reach a decision on the text of the statutory guidance. We aim to issue a report on this consultation process in early 2008.

Comments and complaints

If you have any comments about how this consultation exercise has been conducted, please send them to the address above.

THE SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT CONSULTATION PROCESS

Consultation is an essential and important aspect of Scottish Government working methods. Given the wide-ranging areas of work of the Scottish Government, there are many varied types of consultation. However, in general, Scottish Government consultation exercises aim to provide opportunities for all those who wish to express their opinions on a proposed area of work to do so in ways which will inform and enhance that work.

The Scottish Government encourages consultation that is thorough, effective and appropriate to the issue under consideration and the nature of the target audience. Consultation exercises take account of a wide range of factors, and no two exercises are likely to be the same.

Typically Scottish Government consultations involve a written paper inviting answers to specific questions or more general views about the material presented. Written papers are distributed to organisations and individuals with an interest in the issue, and they are also placed on the Scottish Government web site enabling a wider audience to access the paper and submit their responses. Consultation exercises may also involve seeking views in a number of different ways, such as through public meetings, focus groups or questionnaire exercises. Copies of all the written responses received to a consultation exercise (except those where the individual or organisation requested confidentiality) are placed in the Scottish Government library at Saughton House, Edinburgh (K Spur, Saughton House, Broomhouse Drive, Edinburgh, EH11 3XD, telephone 0131 244 4565).

All Scottish Government consultation papers and related publications (eg, analysis of response reports) can be accessed at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/consultationshttp://www.scotland.gov.uk/consultations

The views and suggestions detailed in consultation responses are analysed and used as part of the decision making process, along with a range of other available information and evidence. Depending on the nature of the consultation exercise the responses received may:

• indicate the need for policy development or review
• inform the development of a particular policy
• help decisions to be made between alternative policy proposals
• be used to finalise legislation before it is implemented

Final decisions on the issues under consideration will also take account of a range of other factors, including other available information and research evidence.

While details of particular circumstances described in a response to a consultation exercise may usefully inform the policy process, consultation exercises cannot address individual concerns and comments, which should be directed to the relevant public body.

ANNEX A LIST OF CONSULTEES

1. Aberdeen Fish Producers' Organisation
2. Anglo Scottish Fishermen's Association
3. Arbroath Fishermen's Association
4 Caley Fisheries Ltd, Fraserburgh
5. Caley Fisheries Ltd, Peterhead
6. Clyde Fishermen's Association
7. Clyde and South West Static Gear Association
8. Cockenzie & Port Seton Fishermen's Association
9. Denholm Fishselling Ltd, Edinburgh
10. Denholm Fishselling Ltd, Peterhead
11. East Coast Licensed Small Boats Association
12. Federation of Highlands and Islands Fishermen
13. Fife Fish Producers' Organisation Ltd
14. Fife Fishermen's Association
15. Fishermen's Association Ltd
16. Herring Buyers Association Limited
17. Highland & Islands Fishermen's Association
18. Hooktone Ltd
19. IMT Marine Consultants Ltd
20. LHD Limited
21. Live Shellfish Traders' Association
22. Local Economic Development Services (East)
23. Lunar Fishing Co.
24. Mackinnons, Solicitors
25. Mallaig & North West Fishermen's Association
26. Mull Fishermen's Association
27. North East of Scotland Fishermen's Organisation Ltd
28. Northern Producers' Organisation
29. Oban Port Association
30. Orkney Fish Producers' Organisation
31. Orkney Fisheries Association
32. Peter & J. Johnstone Ltd
33. Peterhead Fishermen Ltd
34. SAC Management Division
35. Scallop Association
36. Scottish Seafood Processors Federation Ltd
37. Scottish Fishermen's Federation
38. Scottish Fishermen's Organisation Ltd
39. Scottish Fishing Services Association
40. Scottish Pelagic Fishermen's Association
41. Scottish Whitefish Producers' Association
42. Shetland Catch
43. Shetland Fishermen's Association
44. Shetland Fish Producers' Organisation Ltd
45. Skye & Lochalsh Fishermen's Association
46. J Smith
47. The 10 Metre and Under Association
48. Ullapool Assynt Fishermen's Association
49. West of Four Fisheries Management Group
50. West of Scotland Fish Producers' Organisation
51. Western Isles Fishermen's Association
52. Westward Fishing Co.
53. Wigtown Fishermen's Association
54. Alex Buchan Ltd
55. Croan Seafoods
56. Fresh Catch
57. Pelagic Freezing (Scotland) Ltd
58. United Fish Products
59. Under and over 10metres licence vessel owners
60. Careers Scotland
61. Commission for Racial Equality
62. Cosla
63. Crown Estates Office
64. Disability Rights Commission
65. Document Supply centre
66. Federation of Small Business
67. Food Standards Agency
68. Friends of the Earth Scotland
68. Highlands and Islands Enterprise
69. Historic Scotland
70. Keep Scotland Beautiful
71. Royal Faculty of Procurators
72. Scottish Civic Forum
73. Scottish Enterprise
74. Scottish Members of the European Parliament
75. Scottish Natural Heritage
76. Convener Scottish Parliament ERAD Committee
77. Scottish Water
78. Scottish Environment Protection Agency
79. WWF
80. Local Authorities
81. Registered Buyers and Sellers