Section 7 – Drinking Water Quality Regulator for Scotland
24.Subsection (1) provides for the appointment by the Scottish Ministers of a Drinking Water Quality Regulator for Scotland who will have the general functions of ensuring that drinking water quality duties are complied with by public water suppliers and of supervising the enforcement by local authorities of such duties (subsection (2)).
25.Subsections (3) to (5) make provision for the Regulator to authorise other persons to discharge on behalf of the Regulator any of the functions of the Regulator. The Scottish Ministers are given power to issue directions to the Regulator, with which the Regulator must comply (subsection (6)). Subsection (7) defines terms related to the Regulator’s functions for the purposes of this Part of the Act. In particular, it defines “drinking water quality duty” to mean such duties under Part VIA of the Water (Scotland) Act 1980, under this Act and such other enactments as the Scottish Ministers may specify by order. It also defines “public water supplier” to mean Scottish Water.
26.An order under subsection (7) is to be made by statutory instrument and is subject to negative procedure in the Parliament (see section 68).
