Economic wellbeing

This outcome is about supporting the Scottish Executive’s desire for economic prosperity while ensuring the environment is protected in the process; it is about SEPA ensuring that the environmental protection and regulatory actions taken do not unnecessarily constrain the efficient operation of the Scottish economy.

SEPA will:

• investigate the costs of compliance with environmental regulation;

• encourage a reduction in material use by minimising waste through Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations and initiatives;

• work with local authorities, enterprise networks and the business sector on local economic development. This includes input into structure and local plans, responding to development control consultations and input into European structural funds in Scotland;

• use the planning system as a tool for delivering environmental protection and enhancement;

• produce a three year strategy for delivering better regulation;

• continue to develop and use international networks;

• support technology innovation in industry that helps to protect or improve our environment;

• achieve 3% efficiency savings and move towards full cost recovery;

• improve our response time to licence applications; and

• monitor performance against our published service standards for regulated persons¹⁰.

Summary of SEPA’s outcome and targets:

* 100% of development plans responded to within statutory period. 80% of level 3 (highest priority) development control planning applications responded to within time period. Increase the number of development plans meeting environmental requirements.

† Achievement of cost recovery is subject to SEPA's proposed price increases being approved by the Scottish Executive.

§ These targets will be reviewed during 2005/06. The target is measured against Pollution Prevention and Control Part B, Waste Management Licences, Groundwater authorisations, Radioactive Substances Act band B and C, and Control of Pollution Act consents. Pollution Prevention and Control Part A applications are not included as SEPA is still in the transition period for existing processes transferring into the regime and Radioactive Substances Act band A are not included due to the extensive consultation period involved in such applications.

Outputs and Activities

Sustainability of industry

Following the 2004/05 pilot on Pollution Prevention and Control, SEPA will continue to benchmark the cost of compliance to environmental regulation in Scotland against comparable international costs to ensure that they are reasonable. Where differences occur, we will investigate the sources and causes and review our position.

To encourage sustainability of industry, we will promote a reduction in material use by minimising waste or a substitution to more sustainable materials through Pollution Prevention and Control regulations and initiatives. We will also hold the VIBES (vision in business for the environment of Scotland) awards to promote business efficiency through improving environmental performance and participate in initiatives to reduce waste including Business WINS (waste minimisation in the north of Scotland). We provide web-based advice to small and medium-sized enterprises on how to comply with the relevant environmental legislation through the NetRegs programme.

SEPA recognises that businesses and trade bodies have expressed a desire for greater assistance in complying with environmental law which we aim to deliver through offering advice and support on new technologies and technology deployment to businesses. We are also working with UK partners to offer access to new technologies in the waste field through the Waste Technology Data Centre. The centre provides impartial information on the regulation, authorisation, performance and costs of waste management technologies and their overall environmental value.

SEPA is committed to supporting Scottish industry's competitive position in the global market. In particular, this is a key objective of SEPA's implementation of the Water Framework Directive. SEPA will be supporting business planning by ensuring that water users are provided with specifications for the investment requirements for 2012. This process will start in 2006 and will mean that Scottish industry can prepare for the new obligations which will apply across Europe. SEPA will ensure that new measures will not impose disproportionate costs upon water users.

SEPA is developing its capacity to provide an analysis of the financial value of activities associated with water use. This will provide the economic component of the new planning system required by the Water Framework Directive and will assist in the promotion of sustainable water use by reconciling economic, social and environmental pressures.

Sustainability of plans and programmes

SEPA seeks to inform and influence public policy making in Scotland by contributing to the preparation of plans and programmes prepared by the public sector. We will do this through consultations about the environmental impact of plans and programmes required under the Strategic Environmental Assessment Regulations. We will provide input to local authority structure and local plans which provide the land use framework for promoting socio-economic development and environmental protection and enhancement. SEPA seeks to inform and influence the content of a proposed Planning Bill which would fundamentally change spatial planning in Scotland. We also work with programme management executives delivering European structural funds in Scotland. Through these, SEPA promotes the achievement of sustainable development. This requires effective engagement with local authorities, enterprise networks, communities and the business sector. We are monitoring the effectiveness of our advice to consultations with an aim to improve it.

SEPA's efficiency

SEPA continually seeks to be more efficient and we aim to achieve 3% efficiency savings this year and improve our response time to licence applications. SEPA will actively participate in the Scottish Executive's efficient government initiative to ensure that we provide best value. We will endeavour to make the basis and structure of our charging schemes more transparent and incorporate independent scrutiny and move towards full cost recovery.

We are committed to effective regulation and have published a statement of the principles by which we wish to see regulation developed and implemented. During 2005/06 SEPA will produce a three year strategy for delivering more effective regulation, as well as completing the review of our enforcement policy. We will monitor our performance against our published service standards for regulated persons.

SEPA has established good links with a variety of international best practice networks, including network for the Implementation of European Environmental Law, Network of Environmental Protection Agencies and the International Network for Environmental Compliance and Enforcement. This allows us to share our experiences, learn from each other and provide suggestions to improve the legislative base that we regulate.

We aim to minimise SEPA costs, which are recovered from charge payers through our charging schemes. SEPA has been working with a regulatory stakeholder group in the development of the new charging scheme under the Water Environment and Water Services (Scotland) Act 2003. We will continue this innovative approach to the development of our charging schemes with stakeholders affected by our charges.

10 Available from SEPA Corporate Office, Erskine Court, Castle Business Park, Stirling or at www.sepa.org.uk