In this Act—

• “the Department” means the Department of Finance and Personnel

• “the Minister” means

  1. a

     the First Minister or deputy First Minister,

  2. b

     a Northern Ireland Minister,

  3. c

     a junior Minister,

  and the words in paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) have the same meaning as in the Northern Ireland Act 1998,

• “statutory provision” has the meaning given by section 1(f) of the Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954.