Shellfish WatProtected area designations - amending proposals: partial business and regulatory impact assessment

9. Additional Implementation considerations

9.1 Enforcement/ compliance

Following the public consultation and subsequent ministerial decisions on the designation and de-designation of SWPAs we will publish Directions to make these designations and publish relevant maps on the Scottish Government Website. SEPA will also update its list of SWPAs as necessary.

In terms of enforcement and compliance, the relevant regulations for SWPAs are already in place. This policy change only seeks to change the relevant designations. No regulatory changes are planned as part of this policy.

Changing the designations may have some implications, mainly for public bodies. SEPA will be required to monitor as appropriate the quality of SWPAs, undertaken using data from FSS monitoring. In addition, SEPA may also be required to undertake investigative work to explore solutions to reduce pollution and improve water quality where necessary. In addition, Scottish Water may be required to take additional investigations and/or actions to protect water quality. We are working with Scottish Water to understand these impacts better to ensure any changes to SWPAs are proportionate and costed.