UK Offence Report

SCHEDULE 4

SCHEDULE 4 of The Environmental Regulation (Enforcement Measures) (Scotland) Order 2015

This offence was read from the text as made, and no revised version was available, so a later revocation could not be ruled out. Check the current text at legislation.gov.uk.

What the provision says

YES YES YES MEDIUM The Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2011 Regulation 44(1)(a) (breaching prohibition on unauthorised controlled activity) YES YES YES MEDIUM Regulation 44(1)(b) (failure to comply with

a general binding rule) YES YES YES MEDIUM Regulation 44(1)(c) (failure to comply with

a registration) YES YES YES MEDIUM Regulation 44(1)(d) (failure to comply with

a water use licence) YES YES YES MEDIUM Regulation 44(1)(e) to (i) (enforcement powers, obstruction, etc.) YES NO NO LOW Regulation 44(1)(j) (failure to comply with an enforcement notice) YES YES YES MEDIUM Regulation 44(1)(k) (failure to comply with an information notice) YES YES YES LOW Regulation 44(1)(l) to (n) (false or misleading statements, false entries and forged documents etc.) YES YES YES HIGH Regulation 44(1)(o) (causing or permitting the committing of an offence), where the person caused or permitted

a person to commit an offence— under regulation 44(1)(a), (b), (c), (d) or (j);

Text as made, from legislation.gov.uk. © Crown copyright, reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0. This is the text as originally made; later amendments are not shown here.

Who it binds, and what has to be proved

Binds
a person
Conduct
obstructing an official exercising a power
Fault element
Strict liability
Burden of proof
No statutory defence — prosecution proves everything

The prosecution must prove that the conduct happened. This is a strict liability offence as drafted: the provision uses no word of intention, knowledge, recklessness or negligence, so there is no need to show that a person meant to do it, knew about it, or was careless.

Intention, knowledge and carelessness are irrelevant to guilt. They may still matter a great deal to sentence.

The provision states no defence, so the prosecution bears the burden on every element of the offence.

Classifier’s reasoning: no word of intention, knowledge, recklessness or negligence in the offence or its provision.

What would breach SCHEDULE 4?

These are illustrations, not law. They are generated from the provision’s own words to show the shape of the offence. Whether any particular conduct is caught depends on the full text, on any amendment since, and on the facts.

  1. Refusing to let an inspector onto premises they are entitled to enter under the Environmental Regulation (Enforcement Measures) (Scotland) Order 2015.
  2. Sending an official away, or telling staff to say nothing, where the power being exercised does not depend on anyone's consent.
  3. Physically blocking an examination, or removing something an officer has said they intend to inspect.

Penalty

Mode of trial
Not determined
Maximum fine
Not determined
Maximum prison (summary)
Not determined

no penalty is stated in this instrument; it may be in the enabling Act, or in a general penalties provision this pass did not connect to the offence.

No penalty was determined from this instrument. It may be in the enabling Act, or in a general penalties provision this pass did not connect to the offence. Absence of a figure here is not evidence that the offence carries no penalty.

Sentencing

Offences of this kind are usually sentenced under the guidelines below. This is a mapping by subject, not a finding about this provision, and the links go to a search of the Sentencing Council’s own site.

Prosecution figures

No published per-offence figure was found for this provision, and it could not be matched to a Ministry of Justice offence code. Offences created by statutory instrument very largely do not have one. Absence of a figure is not evidence that the offence is unused.

Status and lifecycle

Current status
Status not determined
Made
11 November 2015
In force from
12 November 2015
Extent
Not stated

How this was established: read from the text as made; no revised version available, so later revocation could not be ruled out.

What the instrument is for

(This note is not part of the Order) — the explanatory note published with the instrument, © Crown copyright.

This Order is made under the powers in Chapter 2 of Part 3 of the Regulatory Reform (Scotland) Act 2014. It provides the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (“SEPA”) with powers to impose civil enforcement measures on persons in relation to the offences specified in Schedule 4 to the Order (“relevant offences”). The enforcement measures are fixed monetary penalties, variable monetary penalties and enforcement undertakings. The Order makes provision for fixed monetary penalties at Schedule l. SEPA may impose a fixed penalty notice when satisfied, on the balance of probabilities, that a person has committed a relevant offence (paragraph 1). The amount of the fixed monetary penalties are £300, £600 or £1000 depending on the offence (the amounts are prescribed by paragraph 3 of Schedule 1 and Schedule 4). The procedure for imposing the penalty is provided for at paragraphs 4 to 7. Paragraph 8 makes provision for appeals. Paragraphs 9 and 10 provide for the payment requirements and for a late payment penalty which may be imposed if those are not met. The effect of being served a fixed monetary penalty on criminal proceedings is provided for at paragraph 11. The Order makes provision for variable monetary penalties at Schedule 2. Variable monetary penalties are penalties of an amount which SEPA may in each case determine up to a statutory maximum (paragraph 1). They can be imposed where SEPA is satisfied, on the balance of probabilities, that a person has committed a relevant offence (paragraph 1). The procedure for imposing such a penalty is provided for at paragraphs 3 to 6. Paragraph 7 provides for an appeal against the imposition of the penalty or the amount. Under paragraph 9, SEPA may recover costs incurred by them in relation to imposing a variable monetary penalty. Schedule 2 also provides that SEPA may accept a VMP undertaking (paragraph 12 of Schedule 2). This is an undertaking which may be offered by a person who has been served with a notice of intent relating to a variable monetary penalty. SEPA may impose a non-compliance penalty on a person who fails to comply with such an undertaking (paragraphs 14 to 16 of Schedule 2). Paragraph 18 of Schedule 2 provides for late payment interest for late payment of variable monetary penalties, non-compliance penalties or costs recovery notices. Schedule 3 makes provision for and about enforcement undertakings. These are voluntary undertakings to take certain types of action, for example to secure the offence does not recur, or restore, benefit or improve the environment. SEPA may accept an offer of an undertaking if it has reasonable grounds to suspect that the person offering it has committed a relevant offence (paragraph 1). The requirements of what an enforcement undertaking must contain are provided for in paragraph 3 of that Schedule. The consequences of SEPA accepting such an undertaking are, unless SEPA has issued a certificate of non-compliance, that no criminal proceedings can be commenced against the person for the relevant offence and no other enforcement measures can be imposed in relation to it (paragraph 4 of Schedule 3). Certificates of non-compliance are provided for at paragraph 4, and can be appealed against (paragraph 6 of Schedule 3). Article 5 of the Order permits SEPA to recover any of the penalties under the Order as a civil debt. Articles 7 and 8 provide for an appeals mechanism to the Scottish Land Court. It provides that appeals may be made by written representations and without an oral hearing in certain circumstances. It also makes provision for expenses. Articles 9 and 10 provide that guidance must be prepared by SEPA and had regard to when exercising their functions. Article 11 makes provision for the publication of information on enforcement action. Article 12 provides that any sums received by SEPA in respect of enforcement action under the Order must be paid to the Scottish Ministers. The Order makes consequential amendment to the Scottish Land Court Act 1993 to ensure that the Court of Session can hear appeals from the Land Court in relation to this Order. It also amends the Scottish Land Court (Fees) Order 1996 to ensure that appeals made under this Order are exempt from the requirement to pay a fee for lodging an application to appeal to the Scottish Land Court.

Read the full note and every offence in this instrument

Other offences in the same instrument

How this was identified as an offence

Everything above rests on the judgement that this provision creates a criminal offence, rather than mentioning one. That judgement is made by rule, from the words of the provision, and this is the rule that made it — with a confidence of 0.92.

Basis
the provision says a person “commits an offence”
Confidence
0.92 of 1.00

A provision that states a penalty for an offence created elsewhere can read very like one that creates an offence, and the rules can mistake the one for the other. If the text quoted above sets a penalty for something made an offence by another provision, treat the classification on this page with that in mind, and read the instrument.

Check the source