Environment Directorates


The Scottish Government Rural Affairs, Environment and Services Directorates were a group of civil service Directorates in the Scottish Government until a December 2010 re-organisation.
The Environment Directorates reported to the Director-General, Paul Gray.
A general concordat, drawn up in 1999, set out agreed frameworks for co-operation between the Environment Directorates and the United Kingdom government Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and there is another specifically on the subject of genetically modified organisms.
After December 2010 many of the department's responsibilities became those of the Enterprise, Environment and Digital Directorates. This changed again to the Enterprise, Environment and Innovation Directorates after a June 2014 rebranding.

Ministers

The political responsibilities of the Directorates were those of the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment, Richard Lochhead MSP, whose responsibilities include: agriculture, fisheries and rural development including aquaculture and forestry, environment and natural heritage, land reform, water quality regulation and sustainable development. He was supported by the Minister for Environment, Roseanna Cunningham MSP.

Directorates

The overarching Scottish Government Directorates, including the Environment Directorates were preceded by similar structures called "Departments" that no longer exist. As an overarching set of Directorates, the Environment Directorates incorporate a number of individual Directorates entitled:
  • Rural.
  • Marine Scotland.
  • Rural and Environment Research and Analysis.
  • Rural Payments & Inspections.
  • Environmental Quality.
  • Greener Scotland.

Agencies and other bodies

The Directorates are responsible for one agency:
The Directorates also sponsor several non-departmental public bodies including:
The Rural Development Council was set up in 2008 to advise the Cabinet Secretary on rural affairs and to "consider how best rural Scotland can contribute to the creation of a more successful country, through increasing sustainable economic growth".

History

Prior to the Environment Directorates' creation in 2007, many of their responsibilities were undertaken by the Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department.