The Public Interest Disclosure (Prescribed Persons) (Amendment) Order (Northern Ireland) 2025

Statutory Rules of Northern Ireland

2025 No. 13

Employment

The Public Interest Disclosure (Prescribed Persons) (Amendment) Order (Northern Ireland) 2025

Made

30th January 2025

Coming into operation

12th February 2025

The Department for the Economy makes the following Order in exercise of the powers conferred by Article 67F of the Employment Rights (Northern Ireland) Order 1996(1) and now vested in it(2).

Citation and commencement

1.  This Order may be cited as the Public Interest Disclosure (Prescribed Persons) (Amendment) Order (Northern Ireland) 2025 and shall come into operation on 12th February 2025.

Amendment

2.—(1) The Schedule to the Public Interest Disclosure (Prescribed Persons) Order (Northern Ireland) 1999(3) is amended in accordance with paragraphs (2) and (3).

(2) In the entry relating to the Competition and Markets Authority, in Column (2) (descriptions of matters) after “United Kingdom” insert “, including matters relating to Part 1 of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (digital markets)”.

(3) In the entry relating to the Office of Communications, in Column (2) (descriptions of matters)—

(a) at the end of paragraph (d) omit “and”;

(b) at the end of paragraph (e) for “.” substitute “;”;

(c) after paragraph (e) insert—

“(f) the regulation of video sharing platform services under Part 4B of the Communications Act 2003; and

(g) the regulation of regulated services under the Online Safety Act 2023.”.

Revocation

3.  The Public Interest Disclosure (Prescribed Persons) (Amendment) Order (Northern Ireland) 2024(4) is revoked.

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department for the Economy on 30th January 2025.

Conor Murphy

Minister for the Economy

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Order)

This Order revokes the Public Interest Disclosure (Prescribed Persons) (Amendment) Order (Northern Ireland) 2024 and makes consequential amendments to the Schedule to the Public Interest Disclosure (Prescribed Persons) Order (Northern Ireland) 1999 (S.R. 1999 No. 401) by confirming that matters relating to Part 1 of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act (digital markets) are covered by the entry for the Competition and Markets Authority and that matters relating to Part 4B of the Communications Act 2003 and Online Safety Act 2023 are covered by the entry for the Office of Communications (Ofcom).

(1)

S.I. 1996/1919 (N.I. 16); Article 67F was inserted by Article 3 of the Public Interest Disclosure (Northern Ireland) Order 1998 (S.I. 1998/1763 N.I. 17) and amended by section 14(1)(c) of the Employment Act (Northern Ireland) 2016 (c.15 N.I.).

(2)

The functions of the Department of Economic Development under the Employment Rights (Northern Ireland) Order 1996 were transferred to the Department of Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment by Article 4(b) of, and Schedule 2, Part 2 to, the Departments (Transfer and Assignment of Functions) Order (Northern Ireland) 1999 (S.R. 1999 No. 481). The Department of Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment was renamed the Department for Employment and Learning by section 1(1) of the Department for Employment and Learning Act (Northern Ireland) 2001 (c.15 N.I.), and following the dissolution of that department by section 1(10) of the Departments Act (Northern Ireland) 2016 (c.5 N.I.), its functions under the Employment Rights (Northern Ireland) Order 1996 were transferred to the Department for the Economy by Article 6(1)(c) of the Departments (Transfer of Functions) Order (Northern Ireland) 2016 (S.R. 2016 No. 76).

(3)

S.R. 1999 No. 401; amended by S.R. 2004 No. 261, S.R. 2006 No. 458, S.R. 2010 No. 361, S.R. 2010 No. 399, S.R. 2012 No. 283, S.I. 2013/472, S.R. 2014 No. 48, S.I. 2014/631, S.I. 2017/516, S.I. 2017/692, S.I. 2017/1064, S.I. 2017/1127, S.R. 2022 No. 72 and S.R. 2022 No. 290.

(4)

S.R. 2024 No. 216.