Section 27 – Delegation of functions relating to regional marine plans
78.Section 27 amends the 2010 Act to allow the Scottish Ministers to delegate regional marine planning to a single local authority in any of the three Scottish marine regions of the Orkney Islands, the outer Hebrides and the Shetland Isles, in order that the single authority can carry out the functions related to preparing a regional marine plan. It applies the test that before making the direction to delegate, Ministers are satisfied that there would be difficulty in nominating any other person described in section 12(2) of the 2010 Act in relation to the regional marine plan to which the direction applies.