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Better Regulation Project – Rob
Morris (SEPA)
Better Regulation has been given considerable profile and drive
in England & Wales through the implementation of
the Hampton Review (2005). This has meant that the
Environment Agency has been working with Defra to fulfil the
recommendations in this Review as well as those that followed from
the Macrory sanctions report. SEPA contributed to the
Hampton Review and put in place actions in 2005, and prior to that
in its vision and principles for regulation publication in 2003, to
align with Hampton. Since then, SEPA has worked closely with
the Scottish Government to set out its priorities and targets for
Better Regulation and to get the best fit possible with Government
policy drivers. In addition, SEPA has piloted projects for the
Regulatory Review Group (RRG) chaired by Professor Russel Griggs
and has made significant progress with these. SEPA is committed to
working with the RRG but also UK and EU partners and equivalent
agencies on delivering Better Regulation.
The aims of the Better Regulation project are to simplify and
streamline regulation, improve compliance, target advisory and
regulatory actions on important environmental issues and
effectively tackle environmental crime. Advice and
guidance is a core part of the Better Regulation agenda together
with risk-based and proportionate regulatory controls. Making
things easier, simpler and more effective will also lead to
improvements in efficiency and effectiveness. These improvements
should support regulation as income falls to ensure that effective
regulation is maintained.
A principal challenge is the wide range of regulations which
exist many of which use different terms and administrative
arrangements which can be confusing and inefficient due to the
separate systems and processes they involve. As a consequence, work
is underway to consider how an aligned regulatory model can be
developed with a view to introducing an integrated and consistently
applied regime for all media. The possibility of single
environmental permits is also being considered. Engagement
with business and other stakeholders will be essential in
considering this concept. SEPA is exploring what this might
look like with an open mind (i.e. it is not fixed on this as being
the outcome from its Better Regulation work in respect to
permitting). It is one possible scenario that is worthy of
further exploration given the multiple controls that can be applied
at an individual site level.
Working closely with sectors is key and two-way dialogue is
essential to understanding the environmental, regulatory and
business challenges. The SEARS project is an example of a
larger public sector partnership but there are many examples of
user and stakeholder groups as well as individual sector working
group where Better Regulation can be shaped.
For one of the RRG projects, a questionnaire was circulated to a
small number of businesses which explored permitting, inspection,
data and forward planning issues. This had yielded very useful
information. Which was being used in the change proposals
under Better Regulation. Another RRG project had led to the
development of a freeloader strategy and plans were now underway to
target activities across Scotland.
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