1. Jon Rathjen SEA Bill Team Leader Scottish Executive
SEA in Scotland
Jon Rathjen
SEA Bill Team Leader
Scottish Executive

2. Scotland as a Region/Country
Region of UK, which is EU member state
UK government handles constitution, defence, foreign affairs, etc
Scotland has own parliament, legal system and devolved government - powers over health, education, justice, environment etc.
We implement Directives in devolved areas

3. Scottish Executive Partnership Agreement
“We will legislate to introduce
Strategic Environmental Assessment
To ensure that the full environmental impacts of all new strategies, programmes and plans developed by the public sector are properly considered.”

4. SEA is about…… SEA is about improving plan development
SEA is about fewer unforeseen environmental impacts
SEA is about improving consultation
Sea is about making decisions with clearer and better environmental outcomes

5. SEA Progress in Scotland
Scottish Executive SEA progress to date
Regulations will quickly be followed by a Bill

6. Implications ‘Strategies' included – Policies?
All plans and programmes - no 'setting framework for development consent'
No 'legislative, regulatory or administrative' test
Need to keep at a strategic level

7. The SEA Process in Scotland
Statutory Consultation bodies – Scottish Natural Heritage, Scottish Environment Protection Agency and Historic Scotland.
Screening/Scoping/Reporting/Consulting

8. Scotland and ENPLAN
Comparison and exchange
Awareness Raising

9. Conclusion
SEA if applied early in the process can greatly improve plan development
SEA in Scotland will attempt to apply that improvement across all public sector plan and policy development