The Budget (No. 2) (Northern Ireland) Order 2006

Title and commencement

1.  This Order may be cited as the Budget (No. 2) (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 and shall come into operation forthwith.

Interpretation

2.—(1) The Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954 (c. 33) applies to this Order as it applies to an Act of the Assembly.

(2) In this Order—

“the 2001 Act” means the Government Resources and Accounts Act (Northern Ireland) 2001 (c. 6);

“resources” does not include accruing resources within the meaning of section 8(1) of the 2001 Act;

“statutory provision” has the same meaning as in section 1(f) of the Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954.

Issue of sum out of the Consolidated Fund for the year ending 31st March 2007 and appropriation of that sum

3.—(1) The Department of Finance and Personnel may issue out of the Consolidated Fund and apply to the service of the year ending 31st March 2007 the sum of £6,237,325,000.

(2) That sum is appropriated for the purposes specified in Schedule 1.

Use of resources (other than accruing resources) in year ending 31st March 2007

4.—(1) For the purposes of section 6(1) of the 2001 Act, this Article authorises the use of resources in the year ending 31st March 2007.

(2) The use of resources by—

(a) the Northern Ireland departments;

(b) the Northern Ireland Assembly;

• © the Northern Ireland Audit Office;

(d) the Assembly Ombudsman for Northern Ireland and the Northern Ireland Commissioner for Complaints;

(e) the Northern Ireland Authority for Energy Regulation; and

(f) the Food Standards Agency,

in that year is authorised to the amount of £7,082,792,000.

(3) In that year, resources may be used by a Northern Ireland department or a body or person mentioned in paragraph (2) for the purposes specified in relation to that department, body or person in column 1 of Schedule 2 up to the amounts specified in the corresponding entries in column 2 of that Schedule.

Limit on use of accruing resources in year ending 31st March 2007

5.—(1) For the purposes of section 8(1) of the 2001 Act, this Article sets the relevant limits on the accruing resources that may be directed to be used for certain purposes in the year ending on 31st March 2007 in addition to resources authorised by this Order or any other statutory provision to be used for those purposes in that year.

(2) In that year accruing resources not exceeding the amount specified in column 3 of Schedule 2 may be directed to be used for the purposes specified in the corresponding entries in column 1 of that Schedule.

Power of the Department of Finance and Personnel to borrow

6.—(1) Subject to paragraph (2), the Department of Finance and Personnel may borrow on the credit of the sum specified in Article 3 any sum or sums not exceeding in the whole £3,118,663,000.

(2) Any money so borrowed shall be repaid, with any interest due thereon, out of the Consolidated Fund not later than 31st March 2007.

Resource excess for year ending 31st March 2005

7.—(1) This Article—

(a) authorises (for the purpose of section 6(1) of the 2001 Act) the use of resources by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety for certain purposes in the year ending 31st March 2005;

(b) increases the relevant limit (for the purpose of section 8(1) of that Act) on the accruing resources that may be directed to be used by that Department for those purposes in that year in addition to resources authorised by any other statutory provision to be used for those purposes in that year.

(2) In that year resources may be used by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety for the purposes specified in that Department’s Request for Resources A relating to health and personal social services superannuation (as set out in column 1 of Schedule 2) up to the amount of £32,164,692.48.

(3) In that year accruing resources not exceeding £12,148,511.50 may be directed to be used by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety for those purposes.

(4) Those resources and accruing resources are additional to any resources or accruing resources authorised by or under any other statutory provision to be used for those purposes in that year.

Cash excess for year ending 31st March 2005

8.  The Department of Finance and Personnel may issue out of the Consolidated Fund the sum of £6,978,347.96 and apply that sum for the purposes of its expenditure in the year ending on 31st March 2005 on pensions, lump sums and gratuities to or in respect of persons covered by the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme, civil pensions and gratuities.

Repeal of spent enactments

9.  The enactments mentioned in Schedule 3 are hereby repealed to the extent specified in the second column of that Schedule.

A.K. Galloway

Clerk of the Privy Council