Non-Technical Summaries - Due Care and Attention?

A Non-Technical Summary (NTS) is often a legally required component of documentation for either EIA or SEA - justified on the grounds that it facilitates communication and helps satisfy obligations towards public participation. However, critiques following introduction of Directive 85/337/EEC suggested many EIA NTSs were glossy brochures acting more as project publicity than as serious attempts to provide a comprehensible executive summary. This paper reports on on-going reviews of aspects of NTS practice in the Republic of Ireland. Many EISs lodged with Irish planning applications in the 1990s contained no NTS when reviewed - either never having had one (therefore legally inadequate on submission) or failing to cross-reference the statement to a separate (and missing) NTS. Searches of theoretical texts and practice manuals generally reveal little on NTSs - suggesting the problem may be education. Comparison of NTS content with that of the parent statements, revealed significant variation in absolute or relative NTS size; shortage of stand-alone graphics; and variability in correspondence in subject matter between documents - most NTSs attracting 'poor' or 'inadequate' grades. Reviewing SEA NTSs suggests similar inadequacies; a cut-and-paste approach; few graphics; incoherence in narrative and little indication of how the SEA contributed to the plan/programme. Specific review of language used in writing NTSs suggested that, although documents may have become non-technical by minimising jargon, the general text could not qualify for description as 'plain language'. Ironically, reviews collectively suggest a surprisingly large minimum length for NTSs that could adequately serve their theoretical functions. The following text constitutes a background paper produced for a discussion session on the NTS as an 'Orphan of Impact Assessment'.