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II. NATIONAL INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR INTEGRATING ENVIRONMENTAL
CONCERNS INTO THE POLICY DECISION PROCESS
[ II-A | II-B ]
B. The evolution and existing structure of institutional arrangements for
the tea sector in the various ministries and agencies
[ B-1 | B-2 | B-3 | B-4 | B-5 | B-6 | B-7 | B-8 | B-9 | B-10 | B-11 | B-12 | B-13 | B-14 | B-15 ]
1. Central Environmental Authority
As a manifestation of its policy perspective for the integration of environmental conservation with development, the Parliament, through the National Environmental Act (NEA) No. 47 of 1980, established CEA in the same year as the premier State institution for the protection and management of the environment and for dealing with related matters. Under the Act, CEA was provided with wide powers to perform its assigned functions and duties. NEA also established an Environmental Council comprises senior officials as representatives of practically every Cabinet-rank ministry, including all development ministries. The Council also includes the Chief Executive Officer and three other members of CEA to represent the interests of voluntary agencies, i.e., non-governmental organizations (NGOs ) in the field of environment. The functions of the council are to:
- To provide CEA with general advice on matters pertaining to its responsibilities, powers, duties and functions;
- To advise on any matters referred to it by CEA.
The Council serves as a structural arrangement for representing and integrating sectoral environmental interests into the policy decision-making process and also as a coordinating body for the different ministries and agencies.
CEA is empowered to delegate any of its powers, duties and functions to any government department or local authority, with the concurrence of the minister in charge of the particular government department or local authority. However, such power of delegation does not preclude CEA from exercising its responsibility to protect the environment and from administering the provisions of NEA. The delegated functions are outlined in chapter III.
The enactment of the National Environmental Amendment Act No. 56, 1988, provided for the enhancement of the scope and powers of CEA to respond to the evolving developmental needs. The salient features of the amendments are:
- A wider provision for CEA to engage in "the protection, management and enhancement of the environment; for the regulation, maintenance and control of the quality of the environment; and for the prevention, abatement and control of pollution";
- The widening of the composition of the Environmental Council to include seven members who represent the interests of voluntary agencies (i.e., NGOs) instead of the earlier total of three, and two members from among those persons with adequate expertise or experience in environmental protection and management.
To achieve the above objectives, CEA is structured into three main functional divisions: a Natural Resources Management Division, an Environmental Protection Division and an Environmental Promotion Division. Each division is headed by a director. CEA carries out its functions with a staff of around 200, of whom 75 are professionals.
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