Without prejudice to the power of the Secretary of State to enter into such contracts as he thinks fit with any persons for the purpose of carrying out any works or taking any other action he is authorised by this Act to carry out or take, any contract entered into by the Secretary of State for that purpose may provide for any relevant decision which is reserved by this Act to the Secretary of State to be made instead on his behalf by any person or in any manner specified in or determined in accordance with the contract.

For the purposes of subsection (1) above as it applies to any contract, a decision is a relevant decision reserved by this Act to the Secretary of State if it is a decision with respect to any works or action to which the contract relates that falls to be made by the Secretary of State by virtue of any provision of Schedule 2 or Part I of Schedule 3 to this Act referring (in whatever terms) to the opinion or judgment of the Secretary of State with respect to any matter.

This section shall not be read as prejudicing the power of the Secretary of State to authorise the taking, by any of his officers or servants or in any other manner permitted by law, of any decision or other action that falls to be taken by him for the purposes of this Act.