Regulation 20 Duties of the Department in relation to applications for consent to releaseI1

inform the applicant in writing of the date of receipt of the application;

invite any person by means of a request placed on the register, to make representations to it relating to any risks of damage being caused to the environment by the release before the end of a period to be specified which shall not be less than sixty days from the date the application was received by it;

within 30 days of the date the application was received by it forward to the Commission a summary of that application in the format established by the Commission under Article 11(1) of the Deliberate Release Directive;

examine the application for its conformity with the requirements of the Order and of these Regulations;

evaluate the risks of damage being caused to the environment by the proposed release having regard to the environmental risk assessment; and

take into account any representations relating to risks of damage being caused to the environment by the release made to it before the end of the period specified in accordance with paragraph (b) and any comments made by a competent authority or authorities of other Member States following the circulation to them by the Commission of the summary referred to in paragraph (c).