Schedule 3: The Office for Environmental Protection: Northern Ireland Part 1: The OEP’s Northern Ireland functions Confidentiality of proceedings
Paragraph 17 deals with the circumstances in which the OEP and relevant public authorities must not disclose information obtained during enforcement proceedings by the OEP.
	Sub-paragraph (1)(a) sets out that the OEP cannot disclose information where it has been provided by a relevant public authority as a response to information requested by the OEP in an information notice (as provided for in paragraph 9(3)(b)). Sub-paragraph (1)(b) provides that the OEP also cannot disclose correspondence between the OEP and the relevant public authority in respect of information or decision notices. This includes the notices themselves.
	Circumstances where the prohibition on disclosure does not apply and the OEP is therefore able to disclose the information, are covered under sub-paragraph (2).
	Sub-paragraph (3) prohibits a relevant public authority that is in receipt of an information notice or decision notice from disclosing correspondence between it and the OEP in relation to the notice – including the notice itself. This prohibition also applies to correspondence between the OEP and any other relevant public authority in relation to the relevant notice.
	Sub-paragraph (4) sets out the circumstances where the prohibition in sub-paragraph (3) does not apply.
	Sub-paragraph (5) sets out that that the OEP can only give its consent for disclosure of an information or a decision notice when it has concluded it intends to take no further steps under this Part of this Schedule or under Chapter 2 of Part 1 of this Act. Sub-paragraph (6) ensures that, if consent has been requested by a relevant public authority, the OEP cannot withhold that consent for disclosure of correspondence if it has concluded it intends to take no further steps under this Part of this Schedule or Chapter 2 of Part 1 of this Act.
	Sub-paragraph (7) provides that any information which is non-disclosable under this paragraph and which is held by the OEP or relevant public authorities is to be regarded as "environmental information" in accordance with the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 and the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 and held, for the purposes of those regulations, in connection with confidential proceedings.