Pollution control, the environment and a Scottish environmental protection agency

The proposed Scottish Environmental Protection Agency is one mechanism by which Government is seeking to put into practice the principles of sustainable development. This is an acknowledgement in part that to effect sustainable development demands innovative policies and institutional arrangements. The paper sets out the nature of the existing and administrative and regulatory arrangements for environmental protection and pollution in Scotland. The established administrative hierarchy of individual bodies, responsibilities, functions and powers provides the context within which the proposed agency will operate. The article reviews the distinctive structure and remit of the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency and considers the advantages and disadvantages of creating a centralised, independent organisation.