Part 2: Environmental Governance: Northern Ireland
Under the Northern Ireland Act 1998, the Northern Ireland Assembly has legislative competence for a number of areas of law. The Act allows the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) to exercise its functions in Northern Ireland, subject to the approval of the Northern Ireland Assembly.
	The Environment Act sets out measures that would provide the OEP with equivalent powers in England and Northern Ireland, and ensure that operationally it can function across both administrations. In some cases, this has meant providing for slightly different processes that reflect the different legal and policy frameworks. In others, it has meant ensuring appropriate Northern Ireland representation, for example on the board of the OEP.