Northern Ireland (Ministerial Appointments and Regional Rates) Act 2017

2017 CHAPTER 24

An Act to extend the period of time for making Ministerial appointments following the election of the Northern Ireland Assembly on 2 March 2017, and to make provision about the regional rate in Northern Ireland for the year ending 31 March 2018.

[27th April 2017]

Be it enacted by the Queen’s most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—

1 Extension of period for filling Ministerial offices

(1) For the purposes of filling the Ministerial offices on the first occasion following the election of the Northern Ireland Assembly at the poll on 2 March 2017, the Northern Ireland Act 1998 has effect as if in section 16A(3) for “14 days” there were substituted “108 days”.

(2) Subsection (1) is to be treated as having had effect at all times on and after 2 March 2017.

(3) In this section “the Ministerial offices” means—

(a) the offices of First Minister and deputy First Minister, and

(b) the Ministerial offices to be held by Northern Ireland Ministers (within the meaning of the Northern Ireland Act 1998).

2 Regional rates

(1) This section applies in respect of the year ending 31 March 2018.

(2) The regional rate to be levied on the rateable net annual values of hereditaments is 32.92 pence in the pound.

(3) The regional rate to be levied on the rateable capital values of hereditaments is 0.4177 pence in the pound.

(4) A rate specified under subsection (2) or (3) may be varied by an order made by the Department under Article 7(1) of the Rates Order.

(5) An order made by virtue of subsection (4)—

(a) may be made only after the first occasion on which all the Ministerial offices are filled after 1 April 2017, but

(b) may set the rate in respect of the whole of the year for which it is made.

(6) In this section—

• “the Ministerial offices” means—

  (a)

  the offices of First Minister and deputy First Minister, and

  (b)

  the Ministerial offices to be held by Northern Ireland Ministers (within the meaning of the Northern Ireland Act 1998);

• “the Rates Order” means the Rates (Northern Ireland) Order 1977 (S.I. 1977/2157 (N.I. 28));

and any expression used in this section and in the Rates Order has the meaning given by that Order.

3 Extent, commencement and short title

(1) This Act extends to Northern Ireland only.

(2) This Act comes into force on the day on which it is passed.

(3) This Act may be cited as the Northern Ireland (Ministerial Appointments and Regional Rates) Act 2017.