(1)The Environmental Protection Act 1990 is modified as follows.
(2)After section 71 insert—
(1)The Scottish Ministers may require a relevant authority to provide them with such information as Ministers may specify about—
(a)cases where the authority has exercised any of its functions under section 59, and
(b)cases where the authority has exercised any of its functions in respect of any contravention of section 33(1)(a) or (c).
(2)In requiring information under subsection (1), the Scottish Ministers may specify—
(a)the period to which the information is to relate, and
(b)the date by which the relevant authority is to provide the information.
(3)The information required by Ministers under subsection (1) may include, in particular—
(a)the number of contraventions of section 33(1)(a) or (c) reported to the relevant authority,
(b)the location of contraventions of section 33(1)(a) or (c) reported to the authority,
(c)what action (if any) has been taken by the authority in response to the reported contraventions,
(d)the number of fixed penalty notices issued by the authority under section 33A in response to the reported contraventions,
(e)the number of fixed penalties paid in response to such notices, and
(f)the number of reports made by the authority of offences under section 33(1)(a) or (c).
(4)The Scottish Ministers may not exercise their power under subsection (1) in relation to a particular relevant authority more than once in any period of 12 months.
(5)In this section, “relevant authority” means—
(a)in relation to functions under section 59, a waste collection authority,
(b)in relation to functions in respect of contraventions of section 33(1)(a) or (c)—
(i)a local authority,
(ii)Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Authority, or
(iii)a person specified by order made by the Scottish Ministers under section 33A(13).”.