Recommendation 24

Defra should introduce an annual reporting process which details the use of the Marine Spatial Prioritisation programme (MSPri). The first report, covering activity during 2025–26, should be published within six months of the publication of this Report. Thereafter, annual MSPri reports should be published by 1 July each year, with the first full annual cycle completed by 1 July 2027. Each report should, as a minimum, set out: • the projects, plans and policy decisions in which MSPri was used during the reporting period; • which government departments used MSPri, and the specific purposes for which it informed their work; • how MSPri was applied in the development of each relevant plan or programme; • an explanation of any cases where MSPri was not used, despite relevance, and the rationale for its omission; • a record of the stakeholders and departments attending MSPri governance meetings, working groups or workshops; and • a summary of all engagement activities undertaken by the programme during the reporting period, including the locations, dates and types of engagement (such as workshops, site visits, or community meetings). To strengthen transparency and public confidence in interdepartmental decision-making, Defra should also commit to publishing the MSPri Programme Board minutes no later than two months after each meeting. (Recommendation, Paragraph 51)