These Regulations implement for Scotland Community legislation on ambient air quality assessment and management and limit values for air quality.
The Regulations designate the Scottish Ministers as the competent authority for the purposes of Directives 2008/50/EC and 2004/107/EC and set out the duties of the competent authority in relation to the limit values, target values, long-term objectives, information and alert thresholds and critical levels for the protection of vegetation which are set out in Schedules 2 to 6. They also impose requirements on the Scottish Ministers to draw up air quality plans in relation to limit values and target values and short-term action plans in relation to alert thresholds. Short-term action plans may also be used in relation to limit values and target values. Some provisions concern transboundary air pollution.