Schedule 3: The Office for Environmental Protection: Northern Ireland Part 1: The OEP’s Northern Ireland functions Advising on changes to Northern Ireland environmental law etc
Paragraph 3 sets out the circumstances in which the OEP can give advice to a Northern Ireland department. It also makes provision for how this advice must be published and may be laid before the Northern Ireland Assembly.
	Sub-paragraphs (1) and (2) enable a Northern Ireland department to require the OEP to provide it with advice on any proposed change to Northern Ireland environmental law, or on any other matter relating to the natural environment. The department in question can, if it wishes, set out specific matters it requires the OEP to take into consideration when providing this advice. "Natural environment" is defined in this Act in section 44 and paragraph 19 of this Schedule.
	Sub-paragraph (3) enables the OEP, acting on its own initiative, to give advice to a Northern Ireland department concerning any changes to environmental law being proposed by the department in question.
	Sub-paragraph (4) requires any advice given by the OEP to a Northern Ireland department to be given in writing. This applies whether the advice has been requested by the department or whether it has been provided at the OEP’s initiative.
	Sub-paragraph (5) requires the OEP to publish its advice. If it was asked to provide the advice by a Northern Ireland department under sub-paragraph (1), it must also publish details of the request and any matters it was required to take into account in line with sub-paragraph (2). The publication of this information ensures transparency in the relationship between the OEP and any Northern Ireland department asking it for advice.
	Sub-paragraph (6) permits (but does not require) the relevant Northern Ireland department to lay the advice it has received from the OEP before the Northern Ireland Assembly. It may also lay any response it has made to that advice.