Assembly Members (Independent Financial Review and Standards) Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 No. 17

PART 1 N.I. THE INDEPENDENT FINANCIAL REVIEW PANEL

Appointments, etc. N.I.

Appointments to the Panel N.I.

4—(1) The Chair and other Panel members shall be appointed by the Commission.

(2) Each appointment shall be for a term of 5 years from the date of the appointment.

(3) A person may not be appointed to be a Panel member if that person has already been appointed to be a Panel member on two occasions.

Disqualification from membership of the Panel N.I.

5—(1) Schedule 1 makes provision as to the persons who are disqualified from being appointed or serving as Panel members.

(2) The Commission may by order amend Schedule 1.

(3) An order under this section shall not be made unless a draft of the order has been laid before and approved by resolution of the Assembly.

Termination of membership of the Panel N.I.

6—(1) The appointment of a person as a Panel member ceases—

(a) on the expiry of the term for which that person was appointed;

(b) if that person resigns by giving notice in writing to the Commission;

(c) if that person becomes disqualified from being a Panel member; or

(d) if the Commission dismisses that person under subsection (2).

(2) The Commission may dismiss a person from office as a Panel member if it is satisfied that—

(a) the person has been convicted of a criminal offence;

(b) the person has become bankrupt [F1 or is the subject of a bankruptcy restrictions order] [F2 or has had a debt relief order made in respect of him or is the subject of a debt relief restrictions order] or made an arrangement or composition with the person's creditors;

(c) the person has without reasonable excuse failed to discharge the functions of a Panel member for a continuous period of 3 months beginning not earlier than 6 months before the day of dismissal;

(d) the person is unfit or unable to carry out those functions.

Textual Amendments

F1 Words in s. 6(2)(b) inserted (21.4.2015) by The Insolvency (Northern Ireland) Order 2005 (Consequential Amendments) Order (Northern Ireland) 2015 (S.R. 2015/159), art. 1, Sch. para. 20

F2 Words in s. 6(2)(b) inserted (7.3.2016) by The Debt Relief Act (Northern Ireland) 2010 (Consequential Amendments) Order (Northern Ireland) 2016 (S.R. 2016/108), art. 1, Sch. para. 26

Code of conduct for Panel members N.I.

7—(1) The Panel shall issue a code of conduct for its members.

(2) The code of conduct shall in particular—

(a) incorporate the Nolan principles or such other similar principles as may be adopted by the Panel from time to time; and

(b) include provision about the disclosure of interests by Panel members.

(3) The Panel shall keep the code of conduct under review.

(4) In this section “the Nolan principles” means the 7 general principles of public life set out in the First Report of the Committee on Standards in Public Life (Cm 2850).

Administration and finance N.I.

8  Schedule 2 makes administrative and financial provision about the Panel.

Annual report N.I.

9  The Panel shall, as soon as practicable after the end of each financial year, provide to the Commission a report on the performance of its functions, including the use of resources, during that financial year.