Marine litter strategy

Annex B: Equality Impact Assessment

No EQIA Required Declaration

Only complete this section if, after carrying out and considering your screening exercise, you have concluded and can demonstrate that no EQIA is required, and that people are not impacted by your policy directly or indirectly.

Please refer to the EQIA guidance before making a decision not to conduct an EQIA. If, after reading the guidance you are satisfied that an EQIA is not required, please confirm the following:

• Will individuals have access to, or be denied access to, a service or function as a result of your policy or the changes you propose to make?

Yes

No X

• Will the implementation of your policy, directly or indirectly, result in: individuals being employed; a change in staffing levels, terms and conditions, employer or location?

Yes

No X

• Is there a change in the size of budget, or an impact on resources, and will this change (potentially) impact on individuals? For example, will a service be withdrawn, changed or expanded?

Yes

No X

• Will your policy impact on another policy that affects people?

Yes

No X

If you have answered yes to any of these questions, your policy does affect people and you should undertake an EQIA.

If you have answered no to all these questions, considered the EQIA guidance and are completely satisfied you do not need to complete an EQIA, please complete and retain the EQIA not required form on the following page.

The form should be completed by the official responsible for the decision, and then authorised by the relevant Deputy Director, or equivalent. The completed declaration must be filed as a corporate record on eRDM.

Equality Impact Assessment Not Required Declaration

Policy title: Marine Litter Strategy for Scotland

Which National Outcome(s) does the policy contribute to?: Environment: We value, enjoy, protect and enhance our environment.

Directorate: Division: team: Marine Scotland: Marine Planning & Policy: Clean Seas Team

Policy lead responsible for taking the decision: Anne Saunders

Please record why you are not carrying out an EQIA and what your justification is for making that decision.

The policy is to implement the refreshed Marine Litter Strategy for Scotland, and its associated Action Plan. The Action Plan will be in place until 2027.

A consultation has been carried out and respondents were able to provide comments on whether they think the proposals are likely to affect equality. As part of the consultation process a partial BRIA was produced.

This EQIA assessment has been undertaken to cover the Strategy and Action Plan as a whole. Where applicable, individual actions within the Action Plan will undergo their own impact assessments prior to their implementation.

The aim of the Marine Litter Strategy is to help realise the Scottish Government's vision of a 'clean, healthy, safe, productive, and biologically diverse marine and coastal environment that meets the long term needs of people and nature'. The Strategy has a clear purpose: to develop current and future measures to prevent litter from entering the marine and coastal environment, and to support its removal, in order to bring ecological, economic and social benefits for the whole of Scotland.

The implementation of the strategy: would not deny access to services or public functions; would not alter budget or impact on other policies that affect people; and would have no impact on employment. It is for these reasons that the decision was made that an EQIA was not required in this instance.

I confirm that the decision to not carry out an EQIA has been authorised by:

Name and job title of Deputy Director (or equivalent): Michael Palmer

Deputy Director for Marine Planning and Policy

Date authorisation given: 02/09/2022