Schedule 3: The Office for Environmental Protection: Northern Ireland Part 1: The OEP’s Northern Ireland functions Linked notices
Paragraph 11 deals with the possible scenario in which the OEP considers that a notice should be issued to more than one public authority concerning the same or similar breaches of relevant environmental law.
	Sub-paragraph (1) gives the OEP the power to determine that information or decision notices that it has issued to more than one relevant public authority are "linked notices".
	Sub-paragraph (2) allows the relevant department (i.e. the department responsible for the policy area in question) to ask the OEP to designate information or decision notices as linked notices and requires the OEP to have regard to such a request.
	Sub-paragraph (3) requires the OEP to provide the recipient of an information or decision notice (which is referred to as a "principal notice") with a copy of every notice which is linked to it. It also sets out that such notices shall be referred to in this section as "linked notices".
	Sub-paragraph (4) requires the OEP to provide the recipient of a principal notice with a copy of any relevant correspondence which relates to a linked notice between the OEP and the recipient of that notice. What constitutes "relevant" correspondence is defined in sub-paragraph (10).
	Sub-paragraph (5) requires the OEP to provide the recipient of a principal notice with a copy of any relevant correspondence between the OEP and the relevant department that relates to a linked notice. However, sub-paragraph (6) provides that sub-paragraph (5) does not apply where the recipient of either the principal notice or the linked notice is a Northern Ireland department. "Relevant department" is defined in paragraph 7(11).
	Sub-paragraph (7) allows the OEP to designate information and decision notices as notices which are linked to UK information or decision notices issued in relation to identical or similar conduct. Sub-paragraph (8) sets out that in these circumstances, the OEP must provide the recipient of an information or decision notice with a copy of every UK information notice or UK decision notice which is linked to it, and a copy of relevant correspondence relating to those notices between the OEP and the recipient of that notice.
	Sub-paragraph (9) provides that the obligations set out under this paragraph do not apply where the OEP considers that to provide this information would not be in the public interest.
	Sub-paragraph (10) sets out what will be considered as "relevant" correspondence for the purposes of this paragraph. Correspondence is considered relevant if:
as required by sub-paragraph (10)(a), it is not connected with a review application (an application to the High Court for judicial review) or any other legal proceedings; and
as required by sub-paragraph (10)(b), it is not sent to fulfil the requirements of paragraph 14(1)(a) or (b) (that is, information to be provided by the OEP to the relevant department).
	Sub-paragraph (11) defines a UK decision notice and a UK information notice for the purpose of this Part of this Schedule.