Northern Ireland (Executive Formation etc) Act 2022

Executive formation U.K.

1 Extension of period for making Ministerial appointments F1 ... U.K.

(1) The Northern Ireland Act 1998 has effect as if, during the current post-election period, for subsections (3A) to (3C) of section 16A (appointment of Ministers following an Assembly election) there were substituted—

“(3A) In this section “the period for filling Ministerial offices” means the period beginning with 13 May 2022 and ending with [F2 8 February 2024].”

(2) In this section, “the current post-election period” means the period beginning with 5 May 2022 and ending with the day on which a poll for the election of an Assembly is next held.

Textual Amendments

F1 Words in s. 1 heading omitted (28.2.2023) by virtue of Northern Ireland (Executive Formation and Organ and Tissue Donation) Act 2023 (c. 4), ss. 1(2)(a), 3(3)

F2 Words in s. 1(1) substituted (25.1.2024) by Northern Ireland (Executive Formation) Act 2024 (c. 2), ss. 1, 2(2)

Commencement Information

I1 S. 1 in force at Royal Assent, see s. 14(2)

[F3 1A Power to propose date for a poll U.K.

(1) The Northern Ireland Act 1998 has effect as if, during the current post-election period, section 32 (extraordinary elections) were amended as follows—

(a) after subsection (3A), insert—

“(3AA) At any time before the end of the period mentioned in section 16A(3), the Secretary of State may, if the offices mentioned there have not yet been filled, propose a date for the poll for the election of the next Assembly.”;

(b) in subsection (3B), omit “16A(3) or”;

(c) in subsection (3D)(b), after “(3)” insert “, (3AA)”;

(d) in subsection (3E)(b), after “subsection” insert “(3AA) or”;

(e) in subsection (3F), in the words before paragraph (a), after “subsection” insert “(3AA) or”;

(f) in subsection (3G)—

(i) in the words before paragraph (a), after “(3)” insert “, (3AA)”;

(ii) after paragraph (a), insert—

“(aa) in the case of a date proposed under subsection (3AA), withdraw the proposal before the end of the period referred to in section 16A(3), or”;

(g) in subsection (4), in the words before paragraph (a), after “(3)” insert “, (3AA)”.

(2) In this section, “the current post-election period” has the meaning given in section 1.]

Textual Amendments

F3 S. 1A inserted (28.2.2023) by Northern Ireland (Executive Formation and Organ and Tissue Donation) Act 2023 (c. 4), ss. 1(3), 3(3)

F4 2 Power to extend period for making Ministerial appointments by a further six weeks U.K.

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Textual Amendments

F4 S. 2 omitted (28.2.2023) by virtue of Northern Ireland (Executive Formation and Organ and Tissue Donation) Act 2023 (c. 4), ss. 1(4), 3(3)