Marine Act (Northern Ireland) 2013

Advice and guidance by the Department

24.—(1) The Department may give advice and guidance as to—

(a) the matters which are capable of damaging or otherwise affecting any protected feature or features of an MCZ;

(b) the matters which are capable of affecting any ecological or geomorphological process on which the conservation of any protected feature or features is (wholly or in part) dependent;

(c) how any conservation objectives stated for an MCZ may be furthered, or how the achievement of any such objectives may be hindered;

(d) how the effect of any activity or activities on any MCZ, or such zones generally, may be mitigated;

(e) which activities are, or are not, of equivalent environmental benefit (for the purposes of section 23(7)(c)) to any particular damage to the environment (within the meaning of that provision).

(2) Advice or guidance may be given—

(a) either in relation to a particular MCZ or such zones generally;

(b) either to a particular public authority or public authorities generally.

(3) The Department must give advice to any other public authority if the authority requests it.