Environmental Protection Act 1990

Public access to certain information

15 After section 13 (offences) of the 1960 Act there shall be inserted the following section—

“13A Public access to local authority records relating to documents issued under this Act

(1) The chief inspector shall keep copies of—

(a) all applications made to him under any provision of this Act;

(b) all documents issued by him under any provision of this Act;

(c) all other documents sent by him to any local authority in pursuance of directions of the Secretary of State; and

(d) such records of convictions under section thirteen of this Act as may be prescribed in regulations;

and he shall make copies of those documents available to the public except to the extent that that would involve the disclosure of information relating to any relevant process or trade secret (within the meaning of subsection (3) of section thirteen of this Act) or would involve the disclosure of applications or certificates as respects which the Secretary of State has directed that knowledge should be restricted on grounds of national security.

(2) Each local authority shall keep and make available to the public copies of all documents sent to the authority under any provision of this Act unless directed by the chief inspector or, as the case may be, the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the chief inspector, that all or any part of any such document is not to be available for inspection.

(3) Directions under the preceding subsection shall only be given for the purpose of preventing disclosure of relevant processes or trade secrets (within the meaning of subsection (3) of section thirteen of this Act) and may be given generally in respect of all, or any description of, documents or in respect of specific documents.

(4) The copies of documents required to be made available to the public by this section need not be kept in documentary form.

(5) The public shall have the right to inspect the copies of documents required to be made available under this section at all reasonable times and, on payment of a reasonable fee, to be provided with a copy of any such document.”