Government of Ireland Act 1920
1920 c.67
An Act to provide for the better Government of Ireland.
Act restricted to Northern Ireland by Irish Free State (Consequential Provisions) Act 1922 (13 Geo. 5 Sess. 2 c. 2), s. 1(1)
Except where their inclusion is required by the context, references to Southern Ireland are omitted under authority of Statute Law Revision Act 1927 (c. 42), s. 3
Establishment of Parliaments for Southern Ireland and Northern Ireland and a Council of Ireland
1 † C3Establishment of Parliaments of Southern and Northern Ireland.
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For the purposes of this Act, Northern Ireland shall consist of the parliamentary counties of Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry and Tyrone, and the parliamentary boroughs of Belfast and Londonderry.
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Executive Authority
8 † C4Executive powers.
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The seats of the Goverments of Southern Ireland and Northern Ireland shall be at Dublin and Belfast, respectively, or such places as the Parliaments of Southern Ireland and Northern Ireland may respectively determine.
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Financial Provisions
20 † C5Establishment of Southern and Northern Ireland Exchequer.
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Save as may be otherwise provided by Act of the Parliament of Northern Ireland, the existing law relating to the Exchequer and Consolidated Fund of the United Kingdom shall apply with the necessary modifications to the Exchequer and Consolidated Fund of Northern Ireland . . . F13
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21 † C6Powers of taxation.
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Any articles which are brought into Great Britain or the Isle of Man from Ireland, or into Ireland from Great Britain or the Isle of Man, shall be deemed to be articles exported or imported for the purposes of the forms to be used, and the information to be furnished under the M1Customs Consolidation Act 1876 or any Act amending that Act, but for not any other purpose.
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26 Provisions as to land purchase annuities.
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Purchase annuities payable in respect of land situate in Southern Ireland and Northern Ireland respectively, including any arrears thereof due or accruing due on the appointed day, shall be collected by the Governments of Southern Ireland and Northern Ireland, and the amounts so collected shall be paid into their respective Exchequers, but nothing in this Act shall confer on either such Government any powers with respect to the redemption of purchase annuities.
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In each year a sum equal to the amount payable in that year in respect of purchase annuities shall be paid into the Irish Land Purchase fund or account, or other appropriate fund or account, out of moneys provided by the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
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Where after the appointed day an existing purchase annuity is redeemed, a sum equal to the annuity shall be paid out of moneys provided by the Parliament of the United Kingdom to the Exchequer of Northern Ireland, in each year so long as the purchase annuity would, if not redeemed, have continued to be payable.
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For the purposes of this Act—
the expression “purchase annuities," . . . F19, includes annuities for the repayment of advances made under any of the Land Purchase Acts prior to the M2Purchase of Land (Ireland) Act 1891, and annuities for the repayment of advances made under the M3Labourers (Ireland) Act 1906 or under any other Act relating to land purchase in Ireland;
the expression “existing purchase annuity” means a purchase annuity payable in respect of an advance made in pursuance of a purchase agreement entered into, or, in the case of a purchase annuity payable under the M4Labourers (Ireland) Act 1906 in pursuance of a scheme approved before the passing of this Act;
the expression “new purchase annuity” means a purchase annuity payable in respect of an advance made in pursuance of a purchase agreement entered into or, in the case of a purchase annuity payable under the M5Labourers (Ireland) Act 1906 in pursuance of a scheme approved, after the passing of this Act.
27 Existing public loans. C8
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The power of collecting and enforcing the payment of sums due on account of loans made before the appointed day to authorities and persons in Southern Ireland or Northern Ireland out of the local loans fund, the development fund, the road improvement fund or other similar public fund, shall be transferred to the Governments of Southern Ireland and Northern Ireland respectively, and the amounts so collected by them shall be paid into their respective Exchequers:
Provided that this section shall not apply to advances out of the local loans fund for the purposes of the enactments relating to land purchase in Ireland.
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A sum equal to the amount due in respect of such loans shall in each year be paid into the appropriate fund out of moneys provided by the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and shall, subject to the deduction of such sum as the Joint Exchequer Board think just to cover such loss as may be anticipated to result from payments on account of any such loans proving to be irrecoverable, be made good by deductions from the F20Northern Ireland residuary share of reserved taxes in accordance with regulations made by the Treasury.
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29 Provisions against double stamp duties.
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Where an instrument is chargeable with stamp duty in Great Britain and in Northern Ireland, and has been stamped in any one of those countries, the instrument shall, to the extent of the duty it bears, be deemed to be stamped in the other country:
Provided that, if the stamp duty chargeable on any instrument in such other country exceeds the stamp duty chargeable in respect of that instrument in the country in which the instrument has previously been stamped, the instrument shall not be deemed to have been duly stamped in such other country unless and until stamped in accordance with the laws of that country with a stamp denoting an amount equal to such excess.
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Where composition for stamp duty is made or agreed to be made in any one of such countries, any instrument which by virtue of the composition is exempt from the payment of duty in that country shall, for the purposes of this section, be treated in any other such country as having been stamped in the first-mentioned country with a stamp denoting the amount of duty which, but for the composition, would have been chargeable on that instrument:
Provided that, if the legislature of such other country has imposed any conditions on the recognition therein of any composition made or agreed to be made in the first-mentioned country, this subsection shall not apply unless those conditions are complied with.
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Provisions as to Courts of Law and Judges
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41 Application of existing enactments and rules.
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Subject to the provisions of this Act and any modifications or adaptations made by Irish Transfer Orders under this Act, all enactments relating to the Supreme Court of Judicature in Ireland and the judges and officers thereof shall apply to the Supreme Court of Judicature in Northern Ireland and the judges and officers thereof, as they apply to the Supreme Court of Judicature in Ireland and the judges and officers thereof, and as if for references to the High Court of Justice in Ireland there were substituted references to the High Court of Justice in Northern Ireland and as if for references to the Court of Appeal in Ireland there were substituted references to the Court of Appeal in Northern Ireland.
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General
61 Continuation of existing laws, institutions, &c.
All existing laws, institutions, and authorities in Ireland, whether judicial, administrative, or ministerial, and all existing taxes in Ireland, shall, except as otherwise provided by this Act, continue as if this Act had not passed, but with the modifications necessary for adapting them to this Act, . . . F49
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65 Special provisions as to Freemasons.
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It is hereby declared that existing enactments relative to unlawful oaths or unlawful assemblies in Ireland do not apply to the meetings or proceedings of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Ireland, or of any lodge or society recognised by that Grand Lodge.
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68 † C9Provisions as to certain officers of local authorities, universities or colleges.
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74 Definitions.
In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires—
The expression “existing” means existing at the appointed day:
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The expression “Treasury of Northern Ireland” means the department or officer, by whatever name called, for the time being entrusted with the administration of finance in Northern Ireland.
The expression “county court judge” includes recorder:
The expression “salary” includes remuneration, allowances, and emoluments:
The expression “pension” includes superannuation allowance and gratuity, and in relation to an officer or constable of the Royal Irish Constabulary or Dublin Metropolitan Police includes a pension or gratuity payable to the widow or children of an officer or constable:
The expression “office” includes any place, situation, or employment, and the expression “officer” shall be construed accordingly:
The expression “officer” in relation to the Royal Irish Constabulary includes the Inspector-General, the Deputy-Inspector-General, an Assistant-Inspector-General, the Assistant-Inspector-General-Commandant of the Depot, the Town Inspector at Belfast, a county inspector, a surgeon, a storekeeper and barrack-master, the veterinary surgeon, and a district inspector, and in relation to the Dublin Metropolitan Police, includes the Chief Commissioner and Assistant-Commissioner:
The expression “constable” in relation to the Royal Irish Constabulary includes the head-constable-major, a head-constable, sergeant, acting sergeant, and constable; and in relation to the Dublin Metropolitan Police includes every member of that force not being of higher rank than chief superintendent, and not being a member of the clerical staff only:
The expression “Royal Irish Constabulary” includes the reserve force of that body.
75 Saving for supreme authority of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
Notwithstanding . . . F65 anything contained in this Act, the supreme authority of the Parliament of the United Kingdom shall remain unaffected and undiminished over all persons, matters, and things in Ireland and every part thereof.
76 † C10Short title and repeal.
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This Act may be cited as the Government of Ireland Act 1920.
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SCHEDULES
F67F67FIRST SCHEDULE
Sch. 1 repealed by Ireland (Confirmation of Agreement) Act 1925 (c. 77), s. 1(2)
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F68F68SECOND SCHEDULE
Sch. 2 repealed by Statute Law Revision Act 1927 (c. 42)
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F69F69THIRD TO FIFTH SCHEDULES
Schs. 3–5 repealed by Northern Ireland Constitution Act 1973 (c. 36), Sch. 6 Pt. I
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F70F70SIXTH SCHEDULE
Sch. 6 repealed by Northern Ireland Constitution Act 1973 (c. 36), Sch. 6 Pt. II
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F71F71SEVENTH SCHEDULE
Sch. 7 repealed by Judicature (Northern Ireland) Act 1978 (c. 23, SIF 38), s. 122, Sch. 7 Pt. I
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F72F72EIGHTH SCHEDULE
Sch. 8 repealed by Pensions (Increase) Act 1971 (c. 56), s. 18(5), Sch. 8 Pt. II except in relation to pensions for service ending before 27.7.1971
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F73F73NINTH SCHEDULE
Sch. 9 repealed by Statute Law Revision Act 1927 (c. 42)
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Act wholly in force at Royal Assent