xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"

Financial Assistance for Political Parties Act (Northern Ireland) 2000

2000 CHAPTER 1

[10th February 2000]

An Act to provide for the making of payments to political parties for the purpose of assisting members of the Northern Ireland Assembly who are connected with such parties to perform their Assembly duties.

Financial assistance for political partiesN.I.

1.  The Northern Ireland Assembly Commission (in this Act referred to as “the Commission”) may, in accordance with a scheme in force under section 2, make payments to political parties for the purpose of assisting members of the Assembly who are connected with such parties to perform their Assembly duties.

The schemeN.I.

2.—(1) The Commission shall as soon as practicable after this Act comes into operation prepare and lay before the Assembly a scheme for the making of payments to political parties for the purpose mentioned in section 1.

(2) A scheme under this section may in particular—

(a)provide for payments to be of such amounts as are specified in, or determined in accordance with, the scheme;

(b)provide for payments to be made at such times and on such terms and conditions as may be specified in the scheme;

(c)determine the circumstances in which a member of the Assembly and a political party are to be regarded as connected for the purposes of section 1 and the scheme.

(3) The Commission may at any time prepare and lay before the Assembly a revised scheme under this section.

(4) A scheme under this section (or a revised scheme) shall not come into force unless it is approved by a resolution of the Assembly.

Transitional arrangementsN.I.

3.—(1) In relation to the interim period the existing arrangements shall have effect as if contained in a scheme in force under section 2.

(2) In this section—

Short titleN.I.

4.  This Act may be cited as the Financial Assistance for Political Parties Act (Northern Ireland) 2000.