46.—(1) Subject to regulations 47 and 48, the regulator must maintain a register (a “public register”) containing the information in paragraph 1 of Schedule 24 (public registers).
(2) Nothing in paragraph (1) requires a public register to contain information relating to criminal proceedings, or anything which is the subject matter of criminal proceedings, before those proceedings are finally disposed of.
(3) In paragraph (2), “criminal proceedings” includes prospective criminal proceedings.
(4) A local authority must also include on its public register any information which is included on the Agency’s public register in respect of a regulated facility (other than mobile plant or a stand-alone water discharge activity or stand-alone groundwater activity)—
(a)for which the Agency is the regulator; and
(b)which is in the area of the authority.
(5) But—
(a)paragraph (4) does not apply to a port health authority; and
(b)every local authority whose area adjoins that of a port health authority must comply with paragraph (4) as if the port health authority had not been constituted.
(6) The Agency must provide the local authority with the information necessary to comply with paragraph (4).
(7) The regulator must enter information on its public register as soon as reasonably practicable after it comes within the regulator’s possession.
(8) Where information of any description is excluded from any public register under regulation 48, a statement must be entered on the register indicating the existence of information of that description.
(9) The regulator must—
(a)make its public register available for public inspection at all reasonable times, free of charge; and
(b)enable members of the public to obtain copies of entries on its public register on payment of a reasonable charge.
(10) A public register may be kept in any form.