Rural Needs Act (Northern Ireland) 2016

Duty of public authorities to have due regard to rural needs

1.—(1) A public authority must have due regard to rural needs when—

(a) developing, adopting, implementing or revising policies, strategies and plans, and

(b) designing and delivering public services.

(2) For the purposes of this Act, “public authority” means any body or person listed in the Schedule.

(3) The Department must, at least every three years from the coming into operation of this section, review the list of bodies and persons set out in the Schedule and, if it thinks it appropriate, by order amend the Schedule to—

(a) add a body or person to the Schedule;

(b) remove a body or person from the Schedule; or

(c) modify any entry in the Schedule.

(4) An order under subsection (3) may provide for a body or person to be a public authority for all or any of the purposes of this Act.

(5) The Department must not exercise the power conferred by subsection (3) so that a body or person becomes a public authority for any of the purposes of this Act unless the body or person is a body or person appearing to the Department to exercise functions of a public nature.

(6) An order under subsection (3) may contain such transitional provision as the Department thinks appropriate.

(7) An order under subsection (3) must not be made unless a draft of the order has been laid before, and approved by a resolution of, the Assembly.