Section 16 – Transfer of information from existing relevant authorities
30.This section contains detailed provision about the transfer of information from local authorities (who were the enforcement authority under the 1975 Act) to SEPA (who must enforce the new regime under the Act). Subsection (1) requires local authorities to hand over relevant registers, records and other relevant information to SEPA. Subsection (2) requires each local authority to give SEPA any assistance it may reasonably require for the purposes of taking over as enforcement authority. Subsections (3) to (6) contain transitional arrangements to ensure that acts by local authorities when they were enforcement authorities remain valid and to allow SEPA to take over responsibility for ongoing legal proceedings and other work.