2(1)In section 3(1) for “Secretary of State” substitute “Department”.
(2)In section 3 for subsections (4) to (12) substitute—
“(4)In preparing a draft of any guidance, the Department shall consult such persons as it considers appropriate.
(5)Where the Department proposes to issue any guidance, the Department shall publish a draft of it, consider any representations that are made to the Department about the draft and, if the Department thinks it appropriate, modify its proposals in the light of any of those representations.
(6)If the Department decides to proceed with any proposed guidance, the Department shall lay a draft of it before the Assembly.
(7)If, within the statutory period, the Assembly resolves not to approve the draft, the Department shall take no further steps in relation to the proposed guidance.
(8)If no such resolution is made within the statutory period, the Department shall issue the guidance in the form of its draft.
(9)The guidance shall come into force on such date as the Department may by order appoint.
(10)Subsection (7) does not prevent a new draft of the proposed guidance being laid before the Assembly.
(11)The Department may—
(a)from time to time revise the whole or any part of any guidance and re-issue it ;
(b)by order revoke any guidance.
(12)In this section—
“the Department” means the Department of Economic Development;
“guidance” means guidance issued by the Department under this section and includes guidance which has been revised and re-issued;
“statutory period” has the meaning assigned to it by section 41(2) of the Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954.”