33.—(1) A person to whom this section applies shall give to the Board a declaration in the prescribed form, signed by him or her, containing particulars of—

(a) every interest of his or hers which is an interest to which this section applies, and

(b) every change in any such interest or any other interest to which this section applies subsequently acquired by the person.

(2) This section applies to—

(a) the Chairperson,

(b) other members of the Board,

F14[(c) the secretary of the Board,

(d) each consultant or adviser engaged by the Board, and

(e) each employee of the Board and each person of whose services the Board has availed itself pursuant to section 35C.]

(3) This section applies to the following interests:

(a) any estate or interest which a person to whom this section applies has in any land, or in any process, development or operation, associated with aquaculture or fish processing or the manufacture, sale or distribution of products used in aquaculture or fish processing;

(b) any business or dealing in or developing land, or any process, development or operation associated with aquaculture or fish processing or the manufacture, sale or distribution of products used in aquaculture or fish processing, in which such a person is engaged or employed and any such business carried on by a company or other body of which he or she, or any nominee of his or hers, is a member;

(c) any profession, business or occupation in which such a person is engaged, whether on his or her own behalf or otherwise, and which relates to dealing in or developing land or to any process, development or operation associated with aquaculture or fish processing or the manufacture, sale or distribution of products used in aquaculture or fish processing.

(4) A person to whom this section applies who has an interest to which this section applies shall be regarded as complying with the requirements of subsection (1) only if he or she gives to the Board a declaration mentioned in that subsection within the period of 28 days—

(a) beginning on the day on which he or she becomes such a person, or

(b) where there is a change in an interest particulars of which are contained in a declaration already given by the person, or where the person acquires any other interest to which this section applies, beginning on the day on which the change occurs or, as the case may be, the other interest is acquired.

(5) For the purposes of this section but subject to subsection (6), a person shall be regarded as having an estate or interest in land or an activity if the person, or the person's nominee, is a member of a company or any other body which has an estate or interest in the land or activity.

(6) For the purposes of this section, a person shall not be regarded as having an interest to which this section applies if the interest is so remote or insignificant that it cannot reasonably be regarded as likely to influence a person in considering or discussing, or in voting on, any question in respect of a matter arising or coming before the Board or in performing a function in relation to that matter.

(7) Where a person to whom this section applies has an interest to which this section applies by reason only of the beneficial ownership of shares in a company or other body by him or her or by his or her nominee and the total nominal value of those shares does not exceed the lesser of—

(a) £1,000, or

(b) one-hundredth part of the total nominal value of either the issued share capital of the company or body, or where that capital is issued in shares of more than one class, the issued share capital of the class or classes of shares in which he or she has an interest,

subsection (1) shall not have effect in relation to that interest.

(8) The Board shall, for the purposes of this section, keep a register (in this section referred to as the “register of interests”) and shall enter in it the particulars contained in declarations given to the Board pursuant to this section.

(9) The register of interests shall be available for inspection by any person at the office of the Board during normal office hours, and a copy of the register or any entry in the register may be obtained by any person on the payment to the Board of such fee, if any, as the Board may fix, not exceeding the reasonable cost of making the copy.

(10) Where a person ceases to be a person to whom this section applies, all particulars entered in the register of interests as a result of a declaration being given by the person to the Board pursuant to this section shall be removed from the register by the Board as soon as practicable after the expiration of the period of 20 years beginning on the day on which the person ceases to be a person to whom this section applies.

(11) Subject to subsection (12), a person who, when purporting to comply with subsection (1), gives particulars which are false or which, to his or her knowledge, are misleading in a material respect, shall be guilty of an offence.

(12) In proceedings for an offence under this section it shall be a defence for the defendant to prove that at the relevant time he or she believed, in good faith and on reasonable grounds, that—

(a) the relevant particulars were true,

(b) there was no matter about which he or she was then required to make a declaration under subsection (1), or

(c) that the matter in relation to which the offence is alleged was not one about which he or she was so required to make a declaration.