Schedule 3: The Office for Environmental Protection: Northern Ireland Part 1: The OEP’s Northern Ireland functions Investigations: relevant public authorities
Paragraph 7 deals with the investigation of complaints about relevant public authorities as well as the investigation of potential breaches of relevant environmental law coming to the OEP’s attention by other means.
	Sub-paragraph (1) gives the OEP powers to undertake an investigation on the basis of a complaint received under paragraph 6 if it considers that the complaint indicates that a relevant public authority may have committed a serious failure to comply with relevant environmental law.
	Sub-paragraph (2) gives the OEP powers to undertake an investigation without having received a complaint if it has information obtained by other means, which in its view indicates a relevant public authority may have committed a serious failure to comply with relevant environmental law.
	Sub-paragraph (3) sets out the purpose of the investigation i.e. establishing whether a relevant public authority has failed to comply with relevant environmental law.
	Under sub-paragraph (4), at the start of an investigation the OEP is required to notify the relevant public authority that it is being investigated. Under sub-paragraph (10), if that public authority is not a Northern Ireland department, the OEP must also notify the "relevant department". Sub-paragraph (11) defines the relevant department as the Northern Ireland department that the OEP considers the most appropriate, taking account of the nature of the public authority being investigated and the nature of the failure/alleged failure. In most cases this will mean that the OEP will notify the department responsible for the policy area in question.
	Similarly, when an investigation is concluded, sub-paragraph (5) requires the OEP to provide a report to the relevant public authority, copied to the relevant department if necessary under sub-paragraph (10). The OEP may publish the report in full or part under sub-paragraph (9).
	Sub-paragraph (6) allows the OEP the flexibility to delay the preparation of its report if it considers that it may take further enforcement action.
	Under sub-paragraph (7), if the OEP has made a review application under paragraph 12, or an application for judicial review under paragraph 13(1), in relation to the alleged failure to comply with relevant environmental law, it is not required to prepare a report.
	The required contents of the OEP’s report are set out in sub-paragraph (8). The report must include information on whether the OEP considers that a relevant public authority has failed to comply with relevant environmental law, the reasons the OEP came to these conclusions, and any recommendations the OEP may have for the relevant public authority in question and any other authorities.