Commentary on Provisions
12.
Article 1: Title and commencement:Article 2: InterpretationArticle 3: Issue of sum out of the Consolidated Fund for the year ending 31st March 2005 and appropriation of that sum.
Paragraph (1) authorises the issue out of the Consolidated Fund of Northern Ireland of the sum of £5,526,201,000 for 2004-05.
Paragraph (2) appropriates that sum for the purposes specified in column 1 of Schedule 1.
Article 4: Use of resources (other than accruing resources) in year ending 31st March 2005
This Article authorises the use of resources amounting to £6,128,912,000 for 2004-05 for the purposes specified in column1 of Schedule 2.
Article 5: Limit on use of accruing resources in year ending 31st March 2005
Paragraph (1) of this Article sets relevant limits on the total amount of accruing resources, including both operating and non-operating accruing resources that may be directed to be used for certain specified purposes as shown separately in the Estimates for 2004-05.
Article 6: Power of the Department of Finance and Personnel to borrow
This Article authorises the temporary borrowing by the Department of Finance and Personnel of approximately half the sum covered by Article 3 (1). This is a normal safeguard against the possibility of a temporary deficiency arising in the Northern Ireland Consolidated Fund.
Article 7: Resource excess for year ending 31 March 2002
This Article, which relates to the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister authorises the use of resources amounting to £1,000 for 2001-02 and increases the relevant limit on accruing resources by £11,844.71 in that year for the purposes specified in its’ Request for Resources A (as set out in column 1 of Schedule 2).
Article 8: Resource excess for year ending 31st March 2003
This Article authorises the use of resources by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to the amount of £4,485,817.56 in the year ending 31st March 2003.
An amount of £4,157,656.45 is authorised for use by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development for the purposes specified in its Request for Resources B (as set out in column 1 of Schedule 2), while an amount of £328,161.11 is authorised for use by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment for the purposes specified in its Request for Resources B (as set out in column 1 of schedule 2).
Article 9: Repeal of spent enactments
This article removes from the statute book two Budget Acts which are no longer operative.
