Summary and Background Part 3: Marine Planning Statement of policy for UK marine area Section 45: Preparation and coming into effect of statement
140.This section enables the policy authorities to prepare an MPS by acting jointly. In order to ensure that an MPS may be adopted under any circumstances, subsection (1) provides that an MPS may also be adopted by the Secretary of State acting jointly with only one or two of the other policy authorities, or alone if necessary.
141.Subsection (2) requires the Secretary of State to invite the other policy authorities to participate in preparing an MPS before he takes any decision to prepare one by himself.
142.Subsection (3) provides that a new MPS will always replace an older one, even if the new one is prepared and adopted by a different group of policy authorities. This ensures that there is only ever one MPS in effect at any time. (See section 47 for separate provisions on amending an existing MPS without replacing it.)
143.Subsection (4) provides that the MPS comes into effect when it has been adopted by the policy authorities in accordance with the process in Schedule 5. Once an MPS comes into effect, it affects the taking of certain decisions as set out in sections 58 to 60.