The Fair Employment and Treatment (Northern Ireland) Order 1998

1.—(1) Where the Commission proposes to issue a code of practice under Article 9(3), it shall prepare and publish a draft of that code, shall consider any representations made to it about the draft and may modify the draft accordingly.

(2) In the course of preparing any draft code of practice for publication under sub-paragraph (1) the Commission shall consult with such persons as it thinks fit.

(3) If the Commission determines to proceed with the draft, it shall send the draft to the Department which shall—

(a) if it approves of the draft, lay it before the Assembly; and

(b) if it does not approve of the draft, publish details of its reasons for withholding approval.

(4) If, within the statutory period beginning with the day on which the draft of the code of practice is laid before the Assembly, the Assembly so resolves, no further proceedings shall be taken on the draft, but without prejudice to the laying before the Assembly of a new draft.

(5) If no such resolution ispassed asisreferred to in sub-paragraph (4),the Commissionshall issue the code of practice in the form of the draft and the code shall come into effect on such day as the Department may by order appoint.