Northern Ireland (St Andrews Agreement) Act 2006

Draft standing orders for Northern Ireland Assembly

5 (1) The proceedings to be conducted by the Transitional Assembly shall include the preparation and consideration of draft standing orders for the Northern Ireland Assembly.

(2) If the Transitional Assembly approves the draft standing orders (with or without amendments) before 24 March 2007, the approved draft standing orders shall become the standing orders of the Northern Ireland Assembly on 26 March 2007.

(3) Any approval under sub-paragraph (2) requires cross-community support.

(4) But if the Transitional Assembly has not approved the draft standing orders (with or without amendments) before 24 March 2007—

(a) the Secretary of State must prepare draft standing orders in accordance with sub-paragraph (5), and

(b) those draft standing orders shall become the standing orders of the Northern Ireland Assembly on 26 March 2007.

(5) Subject to sub-paragraph (7), the draft standing orders referred to in sub-paragraph (4) must, so far as practicable, be—

(a) in the form of any parts of the draft standing orders that have been approved by the Transitional Assembly under sub-paragraph (2) (with or without amendments) before 24 March 2007;

(b) otherwise, in the form of the former standing orders.

(6) In this paragraph “the former standing orders” means the standing orders of the Northern Ireland Assembly as they had effect immediately before the most recent suspension of that Assembly by virtue of section 1 of the 2000 Act.

(7) The draft standing orders approved under sub-paragraph (2) or the draft standing orders prepared in accordance with sub-paragraph (5)—

(a) must comply with the requirements of the 1998 Act (as it is to have effect on and after 26 March 2007), and

(b) may include other provisions.