Northern Ireland (Ministers, Elections and Petitions of Concern) Act 2022 facts for kids
| Act of Parliament | |
|
|
| Long title | An Act to make provision about Ministerial appointments, extraordinary Assembly elections, the Ministerial Code of Conduct and petitions of concern in Northern Ireland. |
|---|---|
| Citation | 2022 c. 2 |
| Introduced by | Brandon Lewis, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Commons) Lord Caine, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Lords) |
| Territorial extent | England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 8 February 2022 |
| Other legislation | |
| Amends |
|
|
Status: Current legislation
|
|
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| a/2022/2/contents Revised text of statute as amended | |
| Text of the Northern Ireland (Ministers, Elections and Petitions of Concern) Act 2022 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk | |
The Northern Ireland (Ministers, Elections and Petitions of Concern) Act 2022 is a special law passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It helps put into action parts of an important agreement called New Decade, New Approach. This agreement was made after the government in Northern Ireland, called the Northern Ireland Executive, stopped working for three years. The governments of the UK and Ireland, along with political parties in Northern Ireland, all agreed to this plan.
Contents
Why This Law Was Needed
After the New Decade, New Approach agreement was reached, different political parties in Northern Ireland decided to work together. These parties included the Democratic Unionist Party, Sinn Féin, the Ulster Unionist Party, the Social Democratic and Labour Party, and the Alliance Party. They formed a shared government, the Northern Ireland Executive, on January 12, 2020.
However, this government later stopped working. This happened when the First Minister, who was from the Democratic Unionist Party, resigned. This resignation was due to disagreements about how Northern Ireland's trade rules would work after the UK left the European Union.
What the Law Does
This law helps the Northern Ireland government work better and avoid future shutdowns. It includes several important rules:
Appointing Ministers
- Time for Appointments: After an election, the law allows up to four periods of six weeks each to choose new Northern Ireland Ministers. This includes the First Minister and the deputy First Minister. This gives leaders enough time to agree on who will be in charge.
- Filling Vacancies: If the First Minister or deputy First Minister leaves office (for example, if they resign), the law also gives up to four six-week periods to appoint new ones. This helps the government keep running smoothly.
- Ministers Staying in Office: Even after an election, Northern Ireland Ministers can stay in their roles for up to 24 weeks. This ensures there is no gap in leadership while new appointments are being made.
- Longer Periods for Other Ministers: If the First Minister and deputy First Minister leave office, other Ministers can stay in their jobs for up to 48 weeks. Or, they can stay for 24 weeks after the next election, whichever is shorter. This helps keep things stable unless the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland decides there aren't enough representatives from all parts of the community.
Changes to the Petition of Concern
The law also made important changes to something called the Petition of Concern. This is a special tool in the Northern Ireland Assembly that allows a certain number of members to block a decision. The changes are:
- Review Period: Now, there is a 14-day period to think about a valid Petition of Concern before it can be officially used.
- Multiple Parties Needed: People who sign a Petition of Concern must now come from more than one political party. This means one party cannot block things on its own.
- Limited Use: The Petition of Concern cannot be used for matters about a member's behaviour. It also cannot be used to stop the first vote on a new law (called a "second reading").
Ministerial Code of Conduct
- Updated Rules: The law updates the rules for how Northern Ireland Ministers should behave. This was requested by the Northern Ireland Executive itself and is part of the New Decade, New Approach agreement.
