Section 33 - Offences exempted by permission or consent: power to attach conditions etc.
104.Section 33 amends sections 27, 28 and 30 of the 2003 Act to enable Ministers to attach conditions and requirements to permissions and consents granted under those sections.
105.Section 33(2) amends section 27 of the 2003 Act to introduce new subsections (1A) to (1D). Section 27 of the 2003 Act provides for the circumstances in which a person is exempt from any offence in relation to salmon or salmon roe, where the act or omission otherwise leading to the commission of an offence is for scientific purposes; for protecting, improving and developing stocks of fish; or for the conservation of living creatures, and the person in question has the permission of a DSFB or the Scottish Ministers for the activity in question.
106.Section 27(1A) of the 2003 Act enables the Scottish Ministers, in granting permission for the purposes of section 27(1) of the 2003 Act, to impose conditions and requirements. Section 27(1B) makes it an offence for the holder of such a permission to act in contravention of any conditions or requirements imposed or to fail to take any actions required by any such condition or requirement. Section 27(1C) makes provision for a reasonable excuse defence for persons charged with a section 27(1B) offence, and section 27(1D) provides that a person guilty of an offence under section 27(1B) is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale (currently £1,000).
107.Section 33(2)(b) is a technical amendment in consequence of section 33(2)(a).
108.Section 33(3) amends section 28 of the 2003 Act to introduce new subsections (3) to (6). Section 28 of the 2003 Act provides for the circumstances in which a person is exempt from an offence in relation to contraventions of the provision mentioned in section 28(2) of the 2003 Act, insofar as fish other than salmon is concerned. Persons will not be guilty of an offence if the act leading to the contravention is for scientific purposes or for protecting, improving or developing stocks of fish and the person in question has the permission of the Scottish Ministers for the activity in question.
109.Section 28(3) of the 2003 Act enables Ministers, in granting permission for the purposes of section 28(1), to impose conditions and requirements. Section 28(4) makes it an offence for the holder of such a permission to act in contravention of any conditions or requirements imposed or to fail to take any actions required by any such condition or requirement. Section 28(5) makes provision for a reasonable excuse defence for persons charged with a section 28(4)(b) offence, and section 28(6) provides that a person guilty of an offence under section 28(4) is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding Level 3 on the standard scale.
110.Section 33(4) amends section 30 of the 2003 Act to introduce new subsections (2A) to (2D). Section 30 of the 2003 Act provides for certain exemptions from the offences mentioned in section 30(1) of the 2003 Act if the act or omission concerned takes places within or in the course of the operation of a fish farm, and the Scottish Ministers have consented to the activity in question under section 30(2) of the 2003 Act.
111.New subsection (2A) enables Ministers, in granting consent under section 30(2) of the 2003 Act, to impose conditions and requirements. Subsection (2B) makes it an offence for the holder of such consent to act in contravention of any conditions or requirements imposed or to fail to take any actions required by any such condition or requirement. Subsection (2C) makes provision for a reasonable excuse defence for persons charged with a subsection (2B)(b) offence, and subsection (2D) provides that a person guilty of an offence under section (2B) is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding Level 3 on the standard scale.
