(1)The Scottish Ministers may appoint a person to be known as the Drinking Water Quality Regulator for Scotland (in this Part referred to as the “Regulator”) to exercise the functions conferred on the Regulator by this Part.
(2)The Regulator is to have the general functions of—
(a)seeking to ensure that the drinking water quality duties imposed on a public water supplier are complied with, and
(b)supervising the enforcement by local authorities of the drinking water quality duties which it is their responsibility to enforce.
(3)Any person authorised by the Regulator for the purpose (an “authorised person”) may exercise, on behalf of the Regulator, any function of the Regulator.
(4)In relation to the exercise by an authorised person of a function of the Regulator which that person is authorised to exercise, references in this Part to the Regulator are, so far as necessary, to be construed as, or as including, references to the authorised person.
(5)An authorisation given for the purposes of subsection (3) does not prevent the Regulator from exercising any function to which the authorisation relates.
(6)The Scottish Ministers may, after consulting the Regulator, give the Regulator directions of a general or specific character as to the exercise of the Regulator’s functions; and the Regulator must comply with any such direction.
(7)In this Part—
“drinking water quality duty” means a duty in relation to the quality of water imposed on a water supplier by, under or by virtue of—
Part VIA of the 1980 Act,
this Act, or
such other enactment relating to the quality of water supplied by a water supplier as the Scottish Ministers may by order specify,
“public water supplier” means Scottish Water.