Northern Ireland (Interim Arrangements) Act 2023

4 Accounts etc to be laid before House of Commons

(1) After section 67 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 insert—

“67A Accounts etc to be laid before House of Commons if no functioning Assembly

(1) A person must send to the Secretary of State a copy of any minutes, accounts, reports, or other documents, that, during a period in which the Assembly is not functioning, the person lays before the Assembly under a relevant provision.

(2) The Secretary of State must lay before the House of Commons anything received under subsection (1).

(3) In this section “relevant provision” means—

(a) section 10(4), 11(3)(c), 16(4) or 24(2) of the Government Resources and Accounts Act (Northern Ireland) 2001, or

(b) Article 8 of the Financial Provisions (Northern Ireland) Order 1993 (S.I. 1993/1252 (N.I. 5)).

(4) In this section “period in which the Assembly is not functioning” means a period—

(a) beginning with the first day after the end of the period in which an Assembly must meet if, at the end of that period, the Presiding Officer and deputies are not in post, and

(b) ending with the next day on which the Presiding Officer and deputies are in post.

(5) In subsection (4)—

(a) a reference to a Presiding Officer or deputy being in post is a reference to their being in post having been elected under section 39(1) after the day of the poll at which the Assembly referred to in subsection (4)(a) is elected, and

(b) a reference to the period in which an Assembly must meet is a reference to the period referred to in section 31(4).”

(2) Section 67A of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 applies in relation to the period in which the Northern Ireland Assembly is not functioning that began before this Act is passed as if that period had begun when this Act is passed.