25Sustainable development
(1)A public authority must, in exercising its functions, act in the way it considers best calculated to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development in Northern Ireland, except to the extent that it considers that any such action is not reasonably practicable in all the circumstances of the case.
(2)For this purpose—
(a)a public authority must have regard to any strategy or guidance relating to sustainable development issued by the Department of the Environment, and
(b)a public authority other than a Northern Ireland department must have regard to any guidance relating to sustainable development issued by a Northern Ireland department other than the Department of the Environment.
(3)In this section “public authority” means—
(a)a Northern Ireland department,
(b)a district council in Northern Ireland, and
(c)any other person designated for the purposes of this section by order made by the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister.
(4)The power to make an order under subsection (3)(c) is exercisable by statutory rule for the purposes of the Statutory Rules (Northern Ireland) Order 1979 (S.I. 1979/1573 (N.I. 12)).
(5)Such an order may not be made unless a draft of the order has been laid before, and approved by a resolution of, the Northern Ireland Assembly.