What we do

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) is the national public body responsible for environmental protection and improvement in Scotland. We regulate many of the activities which might cause pollution to land, air and water, the storage, transport and disposal of controlled waste and the keeping and disposal of radioactive materials.

SEPA also provides environmental advice and information, and works in partnership with many public, voluntary and private sector organisations to deliver environmental improvements.

SEPA's main aim is to deliver integrated protection across Scotland and to contribute to the Scottish Executive's goal of sustainable development. SEPA's long term goals are to:

• provide an excellent environmental service at local and national level for the people of Scotland,
  
• ensure sustainable waste management,
  
• ensure good air quality,
  
• maintain and restore all water environments,
  
• promote respect for the environment in Scotland,
  
• provide the environmental framework for the economic well-being of Scotland.

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Our Values

SEPA wants to be an open and effective organisation. These are our values:

SEPA will:

• be approachable and professional
  
• respond quickly and efficiently to requests for service
  
• answer telephone calls quickly and help people who use our services
  
• respond promptly to all enquiries about our services
  
• give straightforward information about our services
  
• correct things promptly when they have gone wrong and learn from complaints
  
• consult our users regularly and take account of their responses
  
• be consistent, fair and treat everyone equally
  
• provide value for money
  
• continuously improve services for customers
  

We are committed to treating everyone fairly. The standards of service you can expect to receive in dealings with us are detailed in this service charter. Our performance as an organisation is monitored by Government, our Board and external auditors, and the results published in our Annual Reports.



Courtesy and Helpfulness

We always try to provide you with a helpful, courteous and efficient service. When dealing with you, our staff will:

• give their name in all communications whether in writing or by telephone,
  
• willingly show identification.
  

All staff you meet will receive training to maintain and improve our standards of service.


Privacy

We will respect your right to privacy and will observe the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998. Any personal data collected by SEPA will be used solely for the purpose stated, destroyed when that purpose is completed and will not be passed on to third parties without your permission (unless we are under a duty to do so). We will provide details of any personal information we hold on you on receipt of your written request.


Internal Environmental Policy

We will minimise the environmental impact of our own activities and operate our own Environmental Policy for our everyday activities.

The principles incorporated in our policy include energy efficiency, waste minimisation, recycling schemes and purchasing of least environmentally damaging materials. We aim to adhere to these principles wherever practicable and publish our environmental performance in our Annual Environmental Report.

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Asking for Information

As an open and accountable organisation we publish a wide range of informative material. We believe that easy access to the fullest possible information is in the best interests of environmental protection and we will normally provide information without restriction, in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA) and the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIR) unless there is a valid reason for not doing so.

We are happy to provide factual advice on legislation but we are not able to advise on the interpretation of legislation. If you require such advice you should seek legal assistance.


Information on SEPA

Board meetings are held in open session but may include, if appropriate, a private session for the discussion of matters such as draft reports or minutes to be approved. Names of Board Members and their interests are freely available.

Dates and venues for meetings of the main SEPA Board will be notified in the press at least one week in advance of the meeting. Agendas of these meetings are made available at the same time as they are sent to Board Members. If you want to receive an agenda please contact the committee administrator at our Corporate Office.

Board meetings, agendas and minutes for Board meetings are also posted on our website. We will publish information on SEPA’s organisational performance in our Annual Report and on our website at www.sepa.org.uk.


Public Registers

Our statutory public registers predominantly contain information about activities we have licensed. The results of water and effluent samples analysed are also available through the public registers within 28 days of full completion of analysis, in accordance with legislation.

The information is held on a combination of paper and computer files which may be inspected, free of charge, at our Edinburgh, Perth, East Kilbride, Dingwall and Aberdeen offices. Our Registers may be viewed at these offices between 9.30 a.m. and 4.30 p.m., Monday to Friday (except local and national holidays); contact your local office for further details. You may also telephone or write to us for information. It would be helpful if anyone to see the Registers does so by prior arrangement, although this is not essential.


Other Environmental Information

We will regularly publish information on the state of Scotland’s environment, and make environmental data and publications available on our website. Environmental information we hold that is not published may be obtained by contacting SEPA by email, phone or letter. Contact details are contained in the SEPA Publication Scheme.

SEPA also makes available most other environmental information that it holds. Details can be found in the SEPA Publication Scheme, The Publication Scheme has been devised as part of our obligations under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) act 2002 and the updated Environment Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004.

Requests for information which is not listed in the Publication Scheme will be handled in accordance with the requirements of FOISA and EIR. Most enquiries will be be handled within 20 working days.

There are certain types of information which are generally not publicly available, including:

• confidential information which is part of a legal case, or concerning national security;
  
• personal or commercially confidential information;
  
• incomplete or draft documents at our discretion;
  
• information where disclosure may lead to environmental damage.
  

Details of the possible exemptions/exceptions that may be applied under FOISA and EIR can be found here. If we have to refuse a request this will be confirmed in writing giving reasons for the refusal.


Charges for Information

Information is often provided free of charge, however we are entitled to levy a "reasonable" charge for copying information and for work associated with its preparation. If a charge is to be made you will be informed before the work commences. Further details of our charging policy can be found here.

Personal visits to inspect a register at our offices are free of charge.

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Applying for a Licence

Many activities that may pose a risk to the environment can only legally be carried out in Scotland with an environmental licence from SEPA, for example discharging effluent, storing radioactive materials and managing waste.

We will provide a consistent standard of regulation for all licence holders and follow the standards set down in our guide Working With Environmental Licence Holders (available from any SEPA office).

Where applications for environmental licences may have a significant environmental impact they are advertised in the local press. Anyone with an interest can then see the application and make comments on the proposal.


Charges Associated with Environmental Licences

We ensure that applicants are fully aware of the standard charges for applications for each type of environmental licence. In cases where further information has to be gathered before a decision can be made on an application, there may be an additional charge to cover the cost of acquiring the data, but this will always be subject to prior agreement.

We are required to recover in full the expenditure incurred in exercising our regulatory functions. Full consultation will be undertaken with industry in the event of any revision to our charges.

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Putting Things Right

CUSTOMER SERVICE COMPLAINTS

SEPA’s main aim is to provide an efficient and integrated environmental protection system for Scotland which will both improve the environment and contribute to the Government’s goal of sustainable development.

Our staff are dedicated to providing the best possible service and to getting things right first time, however things do go wrong. When they do, we want to know so that we can put them right as quickly as possible. We can then avoid repeating our mistakes and improve our service.

Our Customer Service Complaints procedure has a maximum of two internal stages and a subsequent right of referral by the complainant to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman to ensure all complaints are dealt with in a full and fair manner.

• Stage 1 – Internal Formal Investigation
• Stage 2 – Internal Review
• Stage 3 – Appeal to Scottish Public Service Ombudsman (SPSO)

Please note that this procedure is not used for:

• Appeals or objections against regulatory decisions made by SEPA
• Reports regarding pollution incidents

STAGE 1: Registering your complaint

If you have a complaint then please let us know by phone, fax, or email, in person or in writing. In the first instance you may contact the member of staff who dealt with you or your local office if you do not have a contact name.  Alternatively, you may contact the Complaints Co-ordination Team at the address below.

If the problem cannot be resolved immediately, your complaint will be formally logged as a Customer Service Complaint.

How you will be kept informed

We aim to acknowledge your complaint within 5 working days of receiving it. You will be told how your complaint is being dealt with either in person or in writing, what action may be taken as a result and how the decision will be made.  Each complaint will have a unique Reference Number which should be quoted when you contact us. We will ask you when and how you would like to be kept informed.

When SEPA has finished looking at your complaint, we will tell you what we have decided to do.  We aim to reply to all complaints quickly and certainly within 20 working days. If we cannot do this we will contact you telling you when you can expect to receive a reply. If the timescale extends beyond 20 working days, we will send you an update at that time.  We will also contact you if we need more information.

STAGE 2: Your complaint has been investigated, but you are not satisfied

If you are not satisfied with how we have handled your Stage 1 complaint, you can apply in writing to SEPA, at the address below, to request that a Stage 2 Formal Review be carried out. 

Complaints Co-ordination Team
SEPA
Erskine Court
The Castle Business Park
Stirling
FK9 4TR

Tel: 01786 457700

By Email

Again, we aim to acknowledge your request within 5 working days and give an account of the outcome within 20 working days. 

STAGE 3: If you are still not satisfied, what can you do?

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of the complaints process followed by SEPA or the manner in which a complaint has been handled you may raise a complaint direct with the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman. Details of how to raise the complaint are available from:

SPSO
Freepost EH641
Edinburgh EH3 0BR

Tel. 0800 377 7330
Fax. 0800 377 7331

By Email

www.spso.org.uk/ 

Information Enquiries

Click here for details of how to seek a review of a request made under FOISA/EIR.

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Contacting Us

• Normal office opening hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each weekday except public holidays.
  
  
• Outside these hours we operate a 24 hour emergency service for reporting all environmental incidents
  
  
  

Service Enquiries

For service enquiries, please contact your local office. Our staff will try to answer all enquiries first-hand. If they are unable to assist you directly, they will put you in contact with someone who can deal with your enquiry, or get the relevant member of staff to contact you.

You may also contact us through our website, which also contains advice and information on SEPA and the Scottish environment, at www.sepa.org.uk


Reporting an Environmental Incident

If you wish to report an environmental incident or where there is an emergency, except flooding, you can call our national 24 Hour Pollution Report Line on 0800 80 70 60. Calls are free of charge. Please do not call our Pollution Report Line number for service or information enquiries.

All reported environmental incidents will be assessed immediately and responded to as soon as possible, but in any case by the end of the following day. We will attempt to contact anyone who reports an incident and wishes to receive a response, to inform them of the outcome.


Floodline

We will provide 24 hour cover throughout the year in support of our flood warning schemes. For information and advice on flooding, please call our Floodline service on 0845 988 1188. Calls are charged at the local rate. Visit the Floodline website at www.sepa.org.uk/flooding

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Your Views

This Service Charter is published to provide information about the standards we aim for in providing our services. You are therefore invited to comment on whether our standards are delivering the level of service you require and whether or not we deal effectively with your enquiries.

Your comments are extremely useful to us in determining how we need to develop and improve our services and for updating the contents of this Charter.

Send your comments to:

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