The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (the Act) requires Scottish public authorities to produce and maintain a publication scheme. Authorities are under a legal obligation to:
- publish the classes of information that they make routinely available
- tell the public how to access the information and what it might cost.
SEPA has adopted the Model Publication Scheme 2011 produced by the Scottish Information Commissioner. He has approved this scheme until 31 May 2015. You can see this scheme on the Scottish Information Commissoner's web site 
or by contacting us at the address below.
The purpose of this Guide to Information is to:
- allow the public to see what information is available (and what is not available) in relation to each class,
- state what charges may be applied
- explain how to find the information easily
- provide contact details for enquiries and to get help with accessing the information
- explain how to request information we hold that has not been published
The classes of information that we publish
We publish information that we hold within the following classes.
Once information is published under a class we will continue to make it available
for the current and previous two financial years.
Where information has been updated or superseded, only the current version will be available. If you would like to see previous versions, you may make a request to us for that information.
Availability and formats
The information we publish through the model scheme is, wherever possible, available on our website.
It is also available to download in a Pdf version - Guide to Information 
(468kb)
We offer alternative arrangements for people who do not want to, or cannot, access the information online or by inspection at our premises. For example, we can usually arrange to send information to you in paper copy (although there may be a charge for this).
Exempt information
We will publish the information we hold that falls within the classes of information below. If a document contains information that is exempt under Scotland's freedom of information laws (for example sensitive personal information or a trade secret), we will remove or redact the information before publication and explain why.
Copyright
Where SEPA holds the copyright in its published information, the information may be copied or reproduced without formal permission, provided that:
- it is copied or reproduced accurately
- it is not used in a misleading context, and
- the source of the material is identified
Where SEPA does not hold the copyright in information we publish, we will make this clear.
Charges
This section explains when we may make a charge for our publications and how any charge will be calculated.
There is no charge to view information on our website or at our premises except where there is a statutory fee, for example, for access to registers. We may charge for providing information to you e.g., photocopying and postage, but we will charge you no more than it actually costs us to do so. We will always tell you what the cost is before providing the information to you.
Our photocopying charge per sheet of paper is shown in the tables below:
Black and white photocopying
|
Size of paper |
Pence per sheet of paper |
|
A3 |
10p |
|
A4 |
5p |
Colour photocopying
|
Size of paper |
Pence per sheet of paper |
|
A3 |
10p |
|
A4 |
5p |
Postage costs may be recharged at the rate we paid to send the information to you.
When providing copies of pre-printed publications, we will charge no more than the cost per copy of the total print run.
We do not pass on any other costs to you in relation to our published information.
Please note that this charging schedule does not apply to our commercial publications/data (see Class 8). These items are generally offered for sale under licence.
Contact us
You can contact us for assistance with any aspect of this publication scheme:
Access to Information Team
SEPA Corporate Office
Erskine Court
Castle Business Park
STIRLING
FK9 4TR
Tel: 01786 457700
Fax: 01786 446885
Email: foi@sepa.org.uk
We will also advise you how to ask for information that we do not publish or how to complain if you are dissatisfied with any aspect of this publication scheme.