News August 2009

Welcome to the August edition.

State of the art building in Golspie formally opened

A new shared building for SEARS partners which will increase efficiency and cut bureaucracy in the Highlands has been opened by Environment Minister Roseanna Cunningham.

‘The Links’ in Golspie is shared by staff from FCS, SNH and SGRPID.

Together with the building’s other residents – Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) and Community Energy Scotland (CES) – the partners will share facilities and provide more efficient and effective service in a single location.

The Minister with The Links’ Unit Heads (L-R) Tim Cockerhill (FCS), Anne Sutherland (HIE), Stephen Watson (CES), Adhair Mcivor, Ms Cunningham, Dave Mackay (SNH).

Ms Cunningham said:

"I am very pleased to see that three SEARS partners have come together to share this well-designed and wonderfully-located building.

"SEARS is all about efficiency in the public sector and providing an improved service for our land managers. There is no doubt that having three key partners in the same location will make life easier for local land managers.

"The green credentials of ‘The Links’ are also very strong, having been built using locally-sourced wood, heated by a wood pellet boiler, fully insulated, and making use of low energy lighting.

"Full marks to the three partners – as well as HIE and CES – for having the foresight to get involved and deliver a more effective service, focused on customer needs, and providing easy access to information and advice."

Dave Mackay, SNH Operational Manager for North Highland added:

"Working in the Links is great and has permitted officers to work much more closely with staff in the other organisations, which has been a big help when assessing applications to the Scotland Rural Development Programme (SRDP) and advising land managers."

SEARS on the European Radar

As well as an increasing profile and wider interest in SEARS here in Scotland, our partnership of nine public bodies is attracting considerable interest in other parts of the United Kingdom and in Europe.

This has come about following a series of presentations and updates on ‘Better Regulation’ provided by one of the original team of four on the SEARS design team in 2007.

Rob Morris, Better Regulation Manager with SEPA, has put forward SEARS as a case study via SEPA’s membership of the Implementation and Enforcement of European Environmental Law (IMPEL) network. His colleague Cath Preston attended a workshop in Berlin in June and updated the audience on SEARS.

Needless to say, the joining up and targeting of services that SEARS is achieving has provoked growing interest from regulatory teams in environment agencies across the EU.

A report will follow later in the year and will be made available by SEPA colleagues. Rob said:

"Being involved in the development of SEARS and seeing it reach the stage it has is very heartening. Putting it forward as a case study of Better Regulation through a partnership between public bodies has alerted others agencies in the EU to the benefits. The reaction has been very positive."

In addition, Rob has gave a SEARS presentation the Better Regulation Team in the Environment Agency (EA) for England and Wales in early June following interest from south of the border.

Their circumstances are clearly different, but the EA is clearly keen to explore the lessons learned from SEARS.

Finally, SEPA has also flagged up SEARS via its membership of the Network of Heads of Environmental Protection Agencies (NEPA) which includes both EU and non-EU countries. This network has around 35 members and operates at a high and strategic level on a range of environmental issues.

As we move into phase 3, we’ll be aiming to have even more good things to tell our European counterparts about SEARS.

Updates on Phase 2

With phase 2 of SEARS now complete, much of the work it outlined now needs to be embedded across the SEARS family. Here’s a quick update on where we are with various opportunities.

• Roll out of training and awareness raising to SNH and SEPA staff on CAR (Controlled Activities) applications in designated sites is planned for November and December this year. The aim is to ensure the agencies work more effectively together by minimizing the number of formal case-by-case consultations at a local level.
• Training for a small number of staff in SNH and SEPA on how to streamline consultations for Pollution Prevention and Control (PPC) applications is planned for the autumn. A workshop will also take place to firm up agreement across the UK regulators and conservation agencies on the final standards that will be used.
• Following a successful launch at the Royal Highland Show, biosecurity guidance and training is being developed for SEARS staff, which will be available on the portal. Several non-SEARS organisations have also expressed an interest in using the protocol.
• Rationalisation of Disposal of International Catering Waste at Landfill Sites inspections is expected shortly. Guidance has been prepared for SEPA staff to factor these inspections into routine visits to landfill sites on receipt of the go ahead from Animal Health.
• Near final draft of the Disease Outbreak Contingency Plan Template for PPC Permitted Intensive Agriculture sites has been completed and circulated to industry reps and the Scottish Government for comments. Sign-off is expected at the next Frontline Delivery Project Board in September and interest is being shown by Animal Health bodies in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
• Work to improve access to forms and information on the portal has been undertaken with more work to follow in the coming months.
• Foundations are in place to enable better data sharing across the SEARS organisations in agreement with the Information Commissioner.
• Consultation principles have been agreed and will be rolled out across the nine SEARS organisations. An early example is being led by FCS in a series of seminars related to Environmental Impact Assessments

SEARS on Twitter!

You can now follow SEARS news on Twitter. To sign up go to: www.twitter.com/ruralscotland