5(1)Section 27 of the Constitution Act shall be amended as follows.
(2)For subsections (2) to (4) there shall be substituted—
“(2)Any Assembly elected following the dissolution of its predecessor by Order in Council shall by virtue of this subsection be dissolved on the fourth anniversary of the day appointed for the election of the members of that Assembly ; and any Assembly elected otherwise than aforesaid shall by virtue of this subsection be dissolved on the fourth anniversary of the dissolution of its predecessor.
(3)If, apart from this subsection, the date of dissolution under subsection (2) above would fall on a Saturday, Sunday, public holiday or bank holiday it shall fall on the next subsequent day which is not a Saturday, Sunday, public holiday or bank holiday.
In this subsection “bank holiday” means a day which by virtue of the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971 is a bank holiday in Northern Ireland.
(4)The Secretary of State may by order direct that any date of dissolution under subsection (2) above shall, instead of being in accordance with that subsection and subsection (3) above, be a date specified in the order, being a date falling not more than two months before or after the date so determined.”
(3)For subsection (6) there shall be substituted—
“(6)Her Majesty may by Order in Council prorogue or further prorogue the Assembly.”
Modifications etc. (not altering text)
C1The text of s. 7(3), Sch. 2 paras. 1, 2, 3(1)(2)(3), 5(1)(2)(3), 6(1)(2)(3)(4), 9 and Sch. 3 is in the form in which it was originally enacted: it was not reproduced in Statutes in Force and does not reflect any amendments or repeals which may have been made prior to 1.2.1991.