Section 52 of the Principal Act is amended as follows:

(a) by omitting subsection (1) and substituting the following subsections:

(1)  If a marine farming zone is designated under a privately prepared draft plan or as a result of a privately requested amendment to a marine farming development plan, the Minister may –

(a) invite the relevant person to apply for a lease in respect of the marine farming zone; or

(b) seek the advice of the Board as to –

(i) the persons or class of persons who should participate in the process leading to the allocation of a lease in respect of the marine farming zone; and

(ii) whether the process referred to in subparagraph (i) is one in which a person holding a certificate of preference may participate.

(1A)  If a marine farming zone is designated otherwise than –

(a) under a privately prepared draft plan; or

(b) as a result of a privately requested amendment to a marine farming development plan –

the Minister is to seek the advice of the Board as to –

(c) the persons or class of persons who should participate in the process leading to the allocation of a lease in respect of the marine farming zone; and

(d) whether the process referred to in paragraph (c) is one in which a person holding a certificate of preference may participate.

(b) by omitting subsections (2) and (3) ;

(c) by inserting the following subsection after subsection (6) :

(7)  In this section –

privately prepared , draft plan, means a draft plan prepared pursuant to an approval under section 16 ;

privately requested amendment , of a marine farming development plan, means an amendment of the plan requested under section 33 ;

relevant person means –

(a) for a privately prepared draft plan, the person who prepared the draft plan; and

(b) for a privately requested amendment of a marine farming development plan, the person who requested the amendment.