Regulatory Regimes
Working Groups
The key task for the Executive now lies in the
development of the regulatory controls which will underpin
the implementation process. We have already commenced work
on these by setting up a number of working groups,
comprising the Scottish Executive, SEPA, Scottish Water and
Scottish Natural Heritage. Their task is to draw up
proposals for these key regulations. The groups are
looking at:
- point source pollution
- engineering and building
- water abstraction and impoundment.
A group to produce regulations for diffuse pollution
will be set up at a later date.
Early drafts of the regulations will be put to the
National Stakeholder Forum for consideration, along with
any issues emerging from the process. We then anticipate
going out to full consultation in the autumn of this
year.
The key challenge in drawing up the proposals for
regulations will be in achieving a balance between securing
improvements in the water environment and maintaining the
social and economic benefits obtained by current
practices.
We propose to introduce the new regimes in April 2005.
This will enable SEPA to begin the process of licensing
activities under the new regimes indicating to organisation
the requirements they will be obliged to meet by 2012; thus
giving those organisations sufficient time in which to make
the necessary investments, in order to meet those
requirements by that date.
The SEPA plans for the Regulatory Regimes can be viewed
on their
web
site