Section 2 - Transfer to Scottish Natural Heritage (“SNH”) of functions of Advisory Committee on Sites of Special Scientific Interest (“ACSSSI”)
6.This section dissolves ACSSSI (also referred to as “the Advisory Committee” in the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004) and transfers its property, rights, liabilities and obligations to SNH. It also repeals the provisions of the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004 relating to ACSSSI and the requirement on SNH in paragraph 11 of schedule 1 to the 2004 Act to provide a copy of any advice given by ACSSSI to a person who has made a representation as this will no longer be relevant once ACSSSI ceases to exist, and it repeals references to ACSSSI in the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 and in the Public Appointments and Public Bodies etc. (Scotland) Act 2003.
7.Subsection (3) also amends section 21(8) of the 2004 Act so that it places a duty on SNH to consider any representations made in accordance with section 21(6) and (7) of that Act, and take such action as it thinks fit in reaching a decision on whether to confirm or withdraw the notification of a site of special scientific interest. Subsection (3) also sets out various amendments that are required to be made to paragraphs 9 and 12 of schedule 1 to the 2004 Act so that they apply in relation to the duty to be placed on SNH to consider any representations, and to take such action as it thinks fit.
