Section 8
1Section 40A of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 (inserted by section 8 of this Act) has effect subject to this Schedule in its application to the members of the Northern Ireland Assembly who are elected at the 2016 election.
2(1)Section 40A(2) does not apply to the procedure for giving the undertaking.
(2)Instead, that procedure (the “transitional procedure”) is to be determined by the person who (under the Assembly’s standing orders) takes the chair at the first meeting of the new Assembly.
(3)That person—
(a)must determine the transitional procedure as soon as is practicable after taking the chair at the first meeting of the new Assembly, and
(b)must communicate the transitional procedure to members of the new Assembly as soon as is practicable after it is determined.
(4)The transitional procedure must secure that a member of the new Assembly has the opportunity to give the undertaking before he or she signs the Assembly’s Roll of Membership (under the Assembly’s standing orders).
(5)A member of the new Assembly may not sign the Assembly’s Roll of Membership (under the Assembly’s standing orders) unless he or she has given the undertaking in accordance with the transitional procedure.
3In this Schedule—
“2016 election” means the election held in 2016 in accordance with section 31(1) of the Northern Ireland Act 1998;
“new Assembly” means the Assembly elected at the 2016 election;
“undertaking” means the undertaking to be given in accordance with section 40A of the Northern Ireland Act 1998.