Northern Ireland Constitution Act 1973

40 General adaptation of references to institutions and offices abolished by this Act

(1) Schedule 5 to this Act shall have effect as from the appointed day for adapting references in existing statutory provisions to institutions and offices which cease to exist by virtue of this Act.

(2) Where an existing statutory provision refers (otherwise than for the purpose of extending or restricting the powers of the Parliament of Northern Ireland) to the matters in respect of which that Parliament has or does not have power to make laws, that provision shall be construed as referring to the matters in respect of which that Parliament would or would not have had power to make laws if this Act had not been passed.

(3) In this section " existing statutory provision " means any provision contained in an Act of the Parliament of Northern Ireland or in an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed before the appointed day or in the Session in which the appointed day falls and any provision contained in an instrument made before the appointed day under any such Act.

(4) Subsection (1) above applies also in relation to any charter, contract or other document (not being a statutory provision) made before the appointed day.

(5) This section and Schedule 5 have effect subject to any provision made by or under this Act or by Measure, and modify references only so far as their context and the nature of the provision or document in question admit.