13 June 1997
24/97
Statement on SEPA's Financial Position
The financial position of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) is under discussion with Scottish Office. An aspect of that is Section 33 status under the VAT Act, which allows SEPA to reclaim the VAT it pays. Without S33 status, SEPA has to cover VAT costs for the financial years 1996/7 and 1997/8 from its current year’s budget. This amounts to approx. £2.7m.
SEPA intends to maintain its core services, in particular:
Dealing with Major pollution emergencies
There is absolutely no change in our arrangements here. Contact will be made with the appropriately named persons who appear on the emergency plans for any given area. There are clear lines of communication which are known to those likely to be involved SEPA staff will attend major incidents.
Out-of-Hours Pollution Reports
Members of the public telephoning out of hours to their normal contact office number will either be transferred or will receive a recorded message asking them to phone a given number if they wish to report a pollution incident.
In each case the final number will be that of the standby duty officer. He will then decide whether the incident merits an immediate visit or whether it can be held until working hours. In some areas, notably East Region, the out-of-hours service was temporarily suspended for a short period of time, as a precautionary financial measure until the position became clear. However, arrangements for callers in East Region to be able to report to a standby duty officer were quickly reinstated. In all cases, SEPA staff will have to consider carefully whether the pollution report merits a call out and it is likely that the numbers of such attendances will be substantially reduced.
Routine monitoring and inspections
A range of SEPA’s day-to-day business has had to be limited as a result of the financial constraints. For instance, the numbers of inspections of waste tips has been reduced, and air monitoring around some large industrial sites has been curtailed. However, there is no question of SEPA planning not to meet its statutory obligations.
NOTES
1. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) was established under the Environment Act 1995. Its main duty is to protect the environment by controlling pollution to land, air and water in Scotland. This includes:
Radioactive substances: regulating the use and disposal of radioactive substances; holding the national register for the use and disposal of radioactive substances; controlling discharges of radioactive waste from nuclear installations; managing the UK Radioactive Incident Monitoring Network (RIMNET) in Scotland.
Air quality: contributing to the Government's national air quality strategy; working with Local Authorities on local air quality standards.
Waste management: preparing a national waste strategy; regulating the movement and disposal of waste; advising on contaminated land.
Water quality: controlling discharges to freshwater, tidal waters, and groundwater; conserving water resources; gauging river flows; advising planning authorities on flood risk and flood warning schemes.
Integrated Pollution Control: controlling discharges to land, air and water from large, complex industrial processes.
General duties: providing public access to information; contributing to sustainable development; environmental conservation; considering social and economic needs; environmental monitoring, scientific analysis; surveys and research.
ENDS
More information from SEPA Public Affairs at publicrelations@sepa.org.uk
Monica Straughan Tel: 01786 457723. Mobile: 0421 942498
Maggie Hamilton Tel: 01786 452724. Mobile: 0370 686073
If you have a query relating to SEPA and its work please contact info@sepa.org.uk
Updated: 12 December 1997
© SEPA 1997