1997 No. 268
CRIMINAL PROCEDURE
The Criminal Justice (Northern Ireland) Order 1996 (Offensive Weapons) (Exemption) Order (Northern Ireland) 1997
Made 2nd June 1997
To be laid before Parliament
Coming into operation 25th July 1997

The Secretary of State, in pursuance of Article 54(3)(c) of the Criminal Justice (Northern Ireland) Order 1996, hereby makes the following Order:—
1996/3160 (N.I. 24)

1 Citation and commencement
This Order may be cited as the Criminal Justice (Northern Ireland) Order 1996 (Offensive Weapons) (Exemption) Order (Northern Ireland) 1997 and shall come into operation on 25th July 1997.

2 Exemptions
Article 54(1) of the Criminal Justice (Northern Ireland) Order 1996 (sale of knives or certain other articles with blade or a point to persons under sixteen) shall not apply to—
(a) a folding pocket-knife if the cutting edge of its blade does not exceed 7.62 centimetres (3 inches), or
(b) razor blades permanently enclosed in a cartridge or housing where less than 2 millimetres of any blade is exposed beyond the plane which intersects the highest point of the surfaces preceding and following such blades.
Marjorie Mowlam One of Her Majesty’s Principal Secretaries of State Northern Ireland Office 2nd June 1997

(This note is not part of the Order.)
By virtue of Article 54(1) of the Criminal Justice (Northern Ireland) Order 1996, it is an offence to sell a knife or certain other articles to persons under sixteen. This Order, when it comes into operation on 25th July 1997, will exempt from the offence the sale of folding pocket-knives of less than 3 inches and disposable razor blades.