How to access information

To make it easier for you to get the information you want, we recommend that you read the information elsewhere in these pages. There are important details about:

what we do
the kind of information we hold
the exemptions that may apply
our archiving policy, and
our charging policy.

Although a variety of rules apply to accessing information, you do not need to state the relevant law in your request.

Copyright restrictions may apply to the information you request, especially if SEPA is not the owner (or sole owner) of the information. Please read our section on copyright.

Please note that if you request environmental or other data, it will not automatically be interpreted for you. If an interpretation alread exists you can request this. However, if you require us to carry out interpretation for you, we are not obliged to carry this out and the work will probably be charged at the rate for non-publication scheme information (see section on charging).

Special requirements

If you need any particular help in preparing your request, or you need the information in a special format (eg braille, audio tape) please contact us. See the section on responsibilities in ‘About the publication scheme’ for contact details.

Requests for information SEPA does not hold

If you request information that SEPA does not hold we will do one of two things:

refer you to an organisation that does, or may, hold that information
ask for your permission to transfer your request directly to the correct organisation.

Our action will depend on the circumstances of each request, e.g. how much detail we have about your query and how confident we are about which particular organisation holds the information you want.

It may help you to refer to our ‘who does what’ guide in About SEPA.

Getting information directly

You can access much of SEPA’s information by going to our website, registries or phoning one of our helplines.

Website

Our website is www.sepa.org.uk. We publish as much information as possible on our website in a variety of formats:

HTML pages
Microsoft office documents (Word, Excel and Powerpoint)
Adobe Acrobat PDF

You can also search our website by clicking on the Search button (or use our site map). Many of our printed publications are also available online.

If information is available on our website, but you don’t have web access, you can ask us to post or email it to you.

SEPA’s disclosure log

SEPA’s disclosure log enables the wider dissemination of information which SEPA has disclosed in response to requests handled under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 and The Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004.

SEPA’s Disclosure Log provides direct access to information which has been released in response to enquiries received by SEPA’s Access to Information team since 1 January 2005.

Prior to October 2008, the Disclosure Log contains information considered to have a wider public interest. For information released after 1 October 2008 SEPA have included all information released in response to all enquiries.

The Disclosure Log is updated regularly to ensure that information is widely available as soon as possible after its release. However, please note that information may not always be added to SEPA’s Disclosure Log on the same day that it is supplied to an applicant, if the quantity and format of the released information is substantial. Some information may have been blanked out from the information available on the Disclosure Log, where SEPA has had to apply the Data Protection Principles.

Access SEPA's disclosure log

Public registries

Public registries are the main store for large amounts of paper-based regulatory and enforcement information. Our registry staff will be able to help you find the information you need. You can request information in person or by phone. We have registries in Aberdeen, Dingwall, Perth, East Kilbride and Edinburgh. Registry opening hours are 9.30 – 4.30 Monday to Friday. (SEPA offices are closed for Christmas, New Year and Easter public holidays.)

See office location and contact details, here.

Telephone helplines

Flooding information and advice is available by calling 0845 988 1188. (The same information is available online)
Information about the National Waste Plan is available from the Waste Action Line on 0800 389 5270.

Making a request

If the information you want is not in our publication scheme, or you have any difficulties, you can:

email foi@sepa.org.uk
write to Freepost RLRZ-XGXU-CJBZ, SEPA, Perth Office, 7 Whitefriars Crescent, Perth, PH2 0PA or any SEPA office
telephone 08456 124 124 or any SEPA office
Visit any SEPA office.

In each instance, you will need to provide full contact details in case we need to discuss your query at any stage. You will also need to be as specific as possible about the information you want, although you do not need to tell us why you want it.

If you do not make your initial request in writing, we may need to take details and confirm it in writing to you before progressing. This is to help ensure that we understand your needs properly before committing time to responding.

SEPA office opening hours are 9.00 – 5.00 Monday to Friday, except for Christmas, New Year and Easter public holidays.

Information centres

SEPA has three Information Centres around Scotland based in the Stirling, East Kilbride, and Edinburgh offices. Each of these maintains library collections to support SEPA staff. These collections are accessible, by appointment, to members of the public for consultation only. To arrange a visit during office hours to an Information Centre either email infonet@sepa.org.uk or telephone 01786 457700 (Stirling); 01355 574200 (East Kilbride) or 0131 449 7296 (Edinburgh).