List of acts of the Northern Ireland Assembly from 2001 facts for kids

The Northern Ireland Assembly is like the local parliament for Northern Ireland. It's where elected representatives, called Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs), meet to make important decisions and create laws that affect everyone living there. These laws are called "Acts." In 2001, the Assembly passed several new Acts to help manage different parts of life in Northern Ireland. These laws cover everything from how money is handled to how families are supported and even how dogs are looked after!

Understanding Laws and Acts

Laws are rules that everyone in a country or region must follow. They are made by governments or parliaments to keep things fair, safe, and organized. When a new law is created, it's often called an "Act." Each Act has a specific purpose, like making sure public services run smoothly or protecting people's rights.

How Laws Are Made

In Northern Ireland, a new law starts as a "Bill." This Bill is discussed and voted on by the MLAs in the Assembly. If enough MLAs agree, the Bill passes and becomes an Act. This means it's now an official law that people must obey.

Key Laws from 2001

In 2001, the Northern Ireland Assembly passed 17 important laws. Here's a look at some of them and what they aimed to do:

Laws About People and Families

• Health and Personal Social Services Act (Northern Ireland) 2001: This law was about making sure people get good healthcare and social support. It helped create a council to register and train social care workers, who are people who help others in need. It also looked at how hospitals recover costs for treating people injured in road accidents.
• Defective Premises (Landlord's Liability) Act (Northern Ireland) 2001: This Act was about making landlords (people who rent out properties) more responsible for keeping their rented homes safe. If a house had a problem that caused injury, this law helped make sure the landlord could be held accountable.
• Adoption (Intercountry Aspects) Act (Northern Ireland) 2001: This law made it easier and safer for children to be adopted from other countries into families in Northern Ireland. It followed an international agreement to protect children during intercountry adoptions.
• Family Law Act (Northern Ireland) 2001: This Act focused on family matters. It helped clarify who has "parental responsibility" for a child, which means having the rights and duties of a parent. It also dealt with how to determine who a child's parents are, especially through scientific tests.
• Social Security Fraud Act (Northern Ireland) 2001: This law was created to prevent people from cheating the social security system. Social security is money or support given by the government to people who need it, like those who are unemployed or sick. This Act made it harder for people to get benefits they weren't entitled to and set rules for sharing information to catch fraud.

Laws About Money and Government

• Government Resources and Accounts Act (Northern Ireland) 2001: This law was about how the government in Northern Ireland manages its money and keeps track of its finances. It made rules for how government departments should handle their budgets and report on their spending.
• Budget Act (Northern Ireland) 2001 and Budget (No. 2) Act (Northern Ireland) 2001: These two Acts were very important for the government's money plans. They allowed the government to spend money from a central fund for public services. They also set out how much money different government departments could use for the year.

Laws About Business and Public Spaces

• Street Trading Act (Northern Ireland) 2001: This law gave local councils the power to control street trading in their areas. This means they could decide where and how people could sell goods on the streets, helping to keep public spaces organized and fair for everyone.
• Electronic Communications Act (Northern Ireland) 2001: This Act was forward-thinking! It aimed to make it easier and safer to use electronic communications, like emails and online documents, and to store information digitally. This was important as technology became a bigger part of daily life.
• Product Liability (Amendment) Act (Northern Ireland) 2001: This law was about protecting consumers. It updated rules about who is responsible if a product causes harm because it's faulty. This helps ensure that companies make safe products.

Other Important Laws

• Dogs (Amendment) Act (Northern Ireland) 2001: This law updated rules about dogs, especially regarding what happens to dogs that are dangerous or causing problems. It aimed to make communities safer.
• Planning (Compensation, etc.) Act (Northern Ireland) 2001: This Act changed some rules about planning decisions. Planning is about deciding how land can be used and what can be built. This law affected how people might be compensated if a planning decision impacted their property.
• Fisheries (Amendment) Act (Northern Ireland) 2001: This law updated an older Act about fisheries. Fisheries are places where fish are caught, and this law helped manage fishing to protect fish populations and the environment.
• Ground Rents Act (Northern Ireland) 2001: This law dealt with "ground rents," which are small payments made by people who own a house but not the land it sits on. This Act made it possible for people to buy out these payments.
• Trustee Act (Northern Ireland) 2001: This law updated rules for "trustees." A trustee is someone who holds property or money for the benefit of another person or group. This Act helped make sure trustees managed these assets properly.
• Department for Employment and Learning Act (Northern Ireland) 2001: This Act simply changed the name of a government department. The "Department of Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment" became the "Department for Employment and Learning." This reflected its focus on helping people find jobs and get the right education.

These Acts from 2001 show how the Northern Ireland Assembly works to create laws that help manage different aspects of society, from protecting families and consumers to organizing government finances and public spaces.