The Scottish Government

This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007

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SEPA review roadshows

30/08/2002

The work of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) will be the focus of discussions to be held across Scotland during September, beginning next week.

A series of workshops will focus on the interests of various groups' interactions with SEPA, as part of the Policy and Financial Management Review (PFMR) of SEPA currently being carried out.

Details of the seminars are shown in the panel on the right.

Earlier this year Deputy Environment Minister Allan Wilson urged SEPA's stakeholders to take the opportunity to contribute to the review:

"A healthy environment is a key component of sustainable development and therefore it is vital that SEPA does its job well. PFMRs of public bodies, like SEPA, are an integral part of the Scottish Executive's determination to ensure that public bodies provide efficient, effective services for the people of Scotland and I would encourage as many people as possible to contribute t o the review".

SEPA is the public body responsible for regulating emissions to water, land and air from a variety of industrial and other processes in Scotland. It was established by the Environment Act 1995 and became operational on April 1, 1996.

Anyone wishing to attend any seminar should e-mail separeview@scotland.gsi.gov.uk.

The terms of reference for the review, as announced in an answer to a Scottish Parliament Question on May 28, are to examine the role and functions of SEPA and the effectiveness and efficiency with which these functions are carried out.

The review will:

• Consider how effectively SEPA has performed since it was established and seek the views of a range of stakeholders on its performance
• Consider how well SEPA responds to the policies and priorities of the Scottish Ministers and if the level of delegation to SEPA from the Scottish Executive is sufficient and appropriate
• Examine the role of SEPA in relation to other bodies with responsibilities for environmental protection and regulation
• Identify ways of improving the service that SEPA provides to local communities and regulated organisations
• Examine the policies and practices of SEPA in relation to the charges it levies for its regulatory service
• Look at ways of improving the system of environmental permits and emissions monitoring
• Identify the key issues that need to be addressed to allow SEPA to meet the challenges posed by the shifting focus of environmental legislation

The Review will be expected to make recommendations to the Scottish Ministers in all of the key areas outlined above. The Review will be informed by other relevant reviews, in particular the recent quinquennial review of the Environment Agency in England and Wales and the December 2000 Audit Scotland report "A Measure of Protection". These Terms of Reference take account of the outcome of the 2001 Public Bodies Review, which concluded that there was no fundamental change needed to the functions and structure of SEPA. The Public Bodies Review made cross-cutting recommendations relevant to all public bodies; the implementation of these recommendations in relation to SEPA will be considered with interested parties.

The venues for the workshops will be 10 September, The Station Hotel, Dumfries, 11 September, Royal Society of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, 13 September, McDiarmid Park, Perth, 16 September, Teacher Building, Glasgow and 18 September ,Inverness Caledonian Thistle.