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There is wide support for the establishment of such a body and for the improved marine management arrangements it will deliver. Awaiting the passage of the Marine Bill would have meant substantive delay in establishing new delivery arrangements. Establishing Marine Scotland now means it can begin to integrate existing functions and resources and prepare for new functions once the bill is enacted. It also has the benefit of ending uncertainty for the staff involved and others.

Establishing Marine Scotland as a delivery-orientated directorate of Scottish Government means it can deliver better integrated policy, science and other marine management functions than would be possible through a non-departmental public body. Combining marine expertise and resources will mean Marine Scotland is well placed to champion Scotland''s seas and play a key role in the UK, Europe and internationally. It is also more transparent through direct accountability to the Scottish Parliament and offers value for money.

A non-departmental body would be more complex and costly to establish and operate and has the significant drawback of fragmentation of functions.

While there were differences of view on the most appropriate status for Marine Scotland, this is also the approach favoured by the largest group of respondents on the Marine Bill consultation who expressed a view on this issue.

The normal procedures for procuring research include:

Advertising the project on the Scottish Government website and requesting Expressions of Interest from organisations.

Issuing the specification to organisations which have been shortlisted from the previous stage and asking them to tender for the contract.

It is therefore not normal procedure to publish the specification.

Recommendations are expected before the end of 2009, with the intention that, if applicable, a further Amendment Order could be laid within 12 months of the original coming into force.

A single study will look at the issues relating to the introduction of permitted development rights for domestic wind turbines and air source heat pumps.

The government is committed to this objective but a decision on removing the need for planning permission for micro-turbines will depend on the recommendations of the study, which will look at all the relevant issues.

Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) 6, Renewable Energy (March 2007) is a non-statutory document. It is for planning authorities to apply the policy as they deem appropriate.

The Scottish Government has put in place a number of measures to assist planning authorities with this including:

providing consultancy support and advice to local authorities on the preparation of Supplementary Planning Guidance for windfarms.

issuing PAN 45 Annex 2, Spatial Frameworks and Supplementary Planning Guidance for Windfarms.

issuing PAN 84, Reducing Carbon Emissions in New Development.

The drafting of recommendations will take place as part of the study and any timescale for implementation will depend on the content of those recommendations.

Research published in early 2007 recommended that permitted development rights distinguish between domestic and non-domestic buildings. We have given priority to domestic buildings. The research recommended that the same rights apply to all non-domestic buildings. However, non-domestic buildings vary enormously in their scale, location and type of activity. We intend to progress work on non-domestic microgeneration when matters are resolved for domestic.

Officials are in discussion with the Improvement Service about a range of training and development matters associated with planning modernisation.