Executive Summary 1. Water legislation in the Isles of Scilly Various key pieces of legislation within England that protect public and environmental health do not apply to the Isles of Scilly (or have only been applied in part). Such legislative gaps mean that the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) and Environment Agency (EA) have no enforcement powers in relation to water on the islands. This means that residents on and visitors to the Isles of Scilly (IoS) may not enjoy the same level of public health and environmental protection as is available elsewhere in England. Therefore Defra intends to introduce legislation in 2015 applying provisions of the relevant Acts to the IoS. This will also ensure that the Drinking Water Directive and other EU Directives are fully implemented in the IoS. In the meantime the DWI will continue to act on an informal basis in relation to the public water supply on St. Mary’s and Bryher and to private supplies on the off islands. It is already clear that some water and sewerage infrastructure will need upgrading. This is necessary whether the legislation changes or not. A clear legislative framework will however allow such work to be properly planned. Work is already underway to better understand the cost of meeting and, where appropriate, going beyond any standards established by any changes to legislation. We have been discussing this with the Council and will continue to do so in the light of responses to this consultation and as further evidence is gathered. There are a number of options to be considered to deliver compliance with any new regulatory framework for both infrastructure costs and administrative costs. These range from: the Isles of Scilly council raising funds locally; through central government or European grants; to potential part or full privatisation of water responsibilities and assets. We want to ensure that that there will be enough time to plan for any upcoming costs and take decisions on the options outlined above. Although we aim to have the regulations in place for autumn 2015, we will work with those involved to develop transitional arrangements to control when the impact of costs will begin to take effect. No decision has been made regarding what proportion of these costs, if any, will be passed onto the bill payer. However affordability will be at the heart of any proposals put forward.
Executive Summary 1. Water legislation in the Isles of Scilly Various key pieces of legislation within England that protect public and environmental health do not apply to the Isles of Scilly (or have only been applied in part). Such legislative gaps mean that the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) and Environment Agency (EA) have no enforcement powers in relation to water on the islands. This means that residents on and visitors to the Isles of Scilly (IoS) may not enjoy the same level of public health and environmental protection as is available elsewhere in England. Therefore Defra intends to introduce legislation in 2015 applying provisions of the relevant Acts to the IoS. This will also ensure that the Drinking Water Directive and other EU Directives are fully implemented in the IoS. In the meantime the DWI will continue to act on an informal basis in relation to the public water supply on St. Mary’s and Bryher and to private supplies on the off islands. It is already clear that some water and sewerage infrastructure will need upgrading. This is necessary whether the legislation changes or not. A clear legislative framework will however allow such work to be properly planned. Work is already underway to better understand the cost of meeting and, where appropriate, going beyond any standards established by any changes to legislation. We have been discussing this with the Council and will continue to do so in the light of responses to this consultation and as further evidence is gathered. There are a number of options to be considered to deliver compliance with any new regulatory framework for both infrastructure costs and administrative costs. These range from: the Isles of Scilly council raising funds locally; through central government or European grants; to potential part or full privatisation of water responsibilities and assets. We want to ensure that that there will be enough time to plan for any upcoming costs and take decisions on the options outlined above. Although we aim to have the regulations in place for autumn 2015, we will work with those involved to develop transitional arrangements to control when the impact of costs will begin to take effect. No decision has been made regarding what proportion of these costs, if any, will be passed onto the bill payer. However affordability will be at the heart of any proposals put forward.
IoS%20Water%20Legislation%20Consultationformatted.docx