Asking for information
We publish a wide range of informative material. As an open and
accountable organisation, we believe that easy access to the
fullest possible information is in the best interests of
environmental protection. 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.
Board meetings
Information about SEPA's board meetings can be found on our
Informing pages.
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 9.30am and 4.30pm, Monday to
Friday (except local and national holidays). You may also telephone
or write to us for information. It would be helpful to contact us
in advance, if you would like to see the registers, although this
is not essential.
Contact your local office for further
details.
Other environmental information
We regularly publish information on the state of Scotland’s
environment, and make environmental data and publications available
on our website. You can contact us to
obtain environmental information that we hold that is not
published.
SEPA also makes available most other environmental information
that it holds. Details of the SEPA publication scheme can be found
in the Informing section of our
website.
Requests for information not listed in the publication scheme
will be handled in accordance with the requirements of FOISA and
EIR. Most enquiries will be handled within 20 working days.
Certain types of information are generally not publicly
available:
- 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.
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 can
be found in the Charging schemes
section.