1(1)The Department must prepare an environmental improvement plan.
(2)An “environmental improvement plan” is a plan for significantly improving the natural environment.
(3)The plan may—
(a)relate to a period specified in the plan, or
(b)be of no specified duration.
(4)An environmental improvement plan must set out—
(a)the steps that the Department intends to take to improve the natural environment, and
(b)any steps that any other Northern Ireland department intends to take to improve the natural environment.
(5)It may also set out steps that any Northern Ireland department intends to take to improve people’s enjoyment of the natural environment (and if it does so references in this Schedule to improving the natural environment, in relation to that plan, include improving people’s enjoyment of it).
(6)In preparing an environmental improvement plan, the Department must consult such other Northern Ireland departments as it considers appropriate.
(7)The Department must lay before the Northern Ireland Assembly, and publish, an environmental improvement plan before the end of the 12 month period beginning with the day on which this paragraph comes into force.
(8)References in this Schedule to the current environmental improvement plan are to the environmental improvement plan for the time being in effect.