Consultation on a revision to marine licensing application fees

Overview

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in England and the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) invite views on proposals to revise the fee structure and fee rates for marine licence applications as operated by the Marine Management Organisation on behalf of the Secretary of State.  

We are consulting on the introduction of an online self-service portal for Band 1 marine licence applications along with a fixed fee rate for this type of application.  Also on proposals to reduce the number of sub-categories for Band 2 applications, amend the caps on maximum fee levels and increase the hourly fee rate charged for Band 2 and Band 3 marine licence applications.  The proposed changes will seek to ensure that a greater proportion of the cost of a marine licence is met by applicants, whilst at the same time minimising the impact on business. 

This consultation applies to English marine area and Northern Ireland Offshore where the Secretary of State is the marine licensing authority.  It also applies to the Welsh Offshore marine area as the proposed changes to the fees regime will apply until the transition of functions under the Wales Act 2017; until that time the MMO will continue to administer marine licence applications.

The full consultation document can be found at the bottom of this page.

Why your views matter

A revision to the fee structure and fee levels for marine licencing is needed to ensure that the charging regime reflects the full cost of a marine licence.  The increase in costs incurred by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) in determining a marine licence application since 2014, when the current fee levels were last revised, need to be passed on to business.  This will ensure that those seeking to undertake an activity meet the cost of determining a marine licence; reducing reliance on the tax payer.