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6. NEXT STEPS
The 2008 Directions
Following this consultation, the agreed standards and condition limits will be introduced in the autumn. They will be set out in the form of Directions to SEPA, made by the Scottish Ministers.
The Directions are intended to provide SEPA with the necessary degree of legal certainty to ensure consistency of application in the objective setting process for river basin management planning across Scotland.
We also intend to combine the Phase 1 and Phase 2 standards into one set of Directions ("the 2008 Directions") to provide a 'one-stop-shop' for environmental standards and condition limits introduced under the WFD.
The Directions will be published on the Scottish Government's website and notice of their publication will be made via the Edinburgh Gazette once they have been finalised.
Following the outcome of this consultation, the Fisheries Research Services, an agency of the Scottish Government Marine Directorate, will also adopt the relevant standards and condition limits for their regulatory activities under the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985 in respect of coastal and transitional waters.
Classification consultation
UKTAG has also made recommendations on the use of the standards and condition limits in classifying the ecological and chemical status of surface waters and on how the standards and condition limits are intended to inform decisions on whether action to improve the water environment would be appropriate 9. These latter practical recommendations complement the position set out by Scottish Government in its policy statement on environmental standards 10.
We are currently considering the UKTAG's recommendations on how the status of surface waters and groundwater should be classified for the purposes of the WFD and intend to consult on our proposals in this respect shortly.
Economic implications
It is important that the economic implications of implementing these standards and the proposed classification of water bodies are considered as far as possible at this time. However, until specific objectives have been set for each water body through the draft River Basin Management Plans (" RBMPs") it is not possible to properly assess the costs and benefits of the measures necessary to deliver 'good status' for Scotland's water environment by 2015.
To address this, the Scottish Government is currently developing an Impact Assessment to assess the likely range of costs, benefits and implications arising from the implementation of the river basin management plan. We intend to publish this in December 2008 to coincide with the launch of the six month consultation on the draft RBMPs for the Scotland and Solway Tweed River Basin Districts.
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