Despite these differences there are areas of HIA practice where
consensus has been achieved. There has been a degree of harmonisation
in relation to the procedural steps of HIA, namely screening,scoping, assessment, decision-making and recommendations, and
follow-up (Harris et al., 2007b), though these are sometimes broken
up into sub-steps and may be described using different terms. There is
also now a broad consensus that HIA is most usefully undertaken as an
ex ante procedure prior to a proposal being finalised and implemented.
Past arguments about “retrospective” and “concurrent” HIA
appears to have been resolved (Kemm, 2003).