The Environmental Information Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1993

Interpretation

2.—(1) The Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954(1) shall apply to these regulations as it applies to a Measure of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

(2) In these regulations—

• “information” includes anything contained in any records; and

• “records” includes registers, reports and returns, as well as computer records and other records kept otherwise than in a document.

(3) For the purposes of these regulations information relates to the environment if, and only if, it relates to any of the following—

(a) the state of any water or air, the state of any flora or fauna, the state of any soil or the state of any natural site or other land;

(b) any activities or measures (including activities giving rise to noise or any other nuisance) which adversely affect anything mentioned in sub-paragraph (a) or are likely adversely to affect anything so mentioned;

(c) any activities or administrative or other measures (including any environmental management programmes) which are designed to protect anything so mentioned.

(4) For the purposes of these regulations the following are relevant persons—

(a) all government departments, district councils and other persons carrying out functions of public administration as, for the purposes of or in connection with their functions, have responsibilities in relation to the environment; and

(b) any body with public responsibilities for the environment which does not fall within sub-paragraph (a) and is under the control of a person falling within that sub-paragraph.

(1)

1954 c. 33 (N.I.).