Section 48: Withdrawal of, or from, statement
148.If any one of the policy authorities which originally adopted an MPS comes to the conclusion that the MPS no longer reflects their policy, and that authority does not want to, or cannot, correct the problem by making an amendment to the MPS, this section enables the authority to withdraw from the MPS. This is done by first notifying the other policy authorities of their intention, and then placing a notice in the London, Belfast and Edinburgh Gazettes.
149.The policy authority withdrawing from the MPS must also bring the withdrawal to the attention of “interested persons”. They are defined as being anyone the policy authority thinks is likely to be interested in, or affected by, the withdrawal (for example the regulators that have been using it in their decision-making in relation to devolved matters) and the general public.
150.The withdrawal takes effect once the notice is published in the Gazettes.
151.Subsection (8) ensures that the withdrawal of an MPS does not change the effect or validity of any existing marine plans which have been prepared in order to implement the MPS, or the way in which such plans should be construed.
152.Once a devolved policy authority has withdrawn from an MPS, the MPS ceases to have any further effect on decisions which relate to matters within the authority’s devolved competence. If the Secretary of State withdraws from the MPS, it ceases to have effect at all.