http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1998/47/section/52BNorthern Ireland Act 1998An Act to make new provision for the government of Northern Ireland for the purpose of implementing the agreement reached at multi-party talks on Northern Ireland set out in Command Paper 3883.1998-11-19texttext/xmlenStatute Law Database2026-01-30Expert Participation2026-01-29 Northern Ireland Act 1998ActNorthern Ireland Act 2006Northern Ireland Act 2006 (repealed)Sch. 2 para. 2(5)s. 1(3)Northern Ireland Act 1998s. 31(2)-(2D)Northern Ireland Act 2006Northern Ireland Act 2006 (repealed)Sch. 3 para. 2(1)s. 1(3)Northern Ireland Act 1998s. 31(2)-(2D)Northern Ireland (St Andrews Agreement) Act 2006Sch. 3 para. 2(1)s. 1(3)Northern Ireland Act 1998s. 31(2E)Northern Ireland Act 2006Northern Ireland Act 2006 (repealed)Sch. 3 para. 3(1)s. 1(3)Northern Ireland Act 1998Sch. 2 para. 9BSaving Gateway Accounts Act 2009s. 27s. 31 Part V52B1It shall be a Ministerial responsibility of—aeach appropriate Minister; orbif a Minister or junior Minister is nominated under section 52A(3) or (5) to attend a meeting of the North-South Ministerial Council or the British-Irish Council in place of an appropriate Minister, that Minister or junior Minister,to participate in the meeting so far as it relates to matters for which the appropriate Minister has responsibility.2It shall be a Ministerial responsibility of a Minister or junior Minister nominated to attend a meeting of either Council under section 52A(7) to participate in the meeting so far as specified in the nomination.3Each appropriate Minister shall give to—aa person nominated under section 52A(3) or (5) to attend a meeting of either Council in his place; orba person nominated under section 52A(7) to participate in a meeting of either Council so far as specified in the nomination,such information as may be necessary to enable the person's full participation in the meeting.4But if the appropriate Minister does not give sufficient information under subsection (3) to enable the person's full participation in the meeting—athe First Minister and the deputy First Minister acting jointly may request the necessary information; andbif they do so, the appropriate Minister must give that information to the person nominated.5A person nominated under section 52A(3) or (5) may enter into agreements or arrangements in respect of matters for which the appropriate Minister is (or the appropriate Ministers are) responsible.6Without prejudice to the operation of section 24, a Minister or junior Minister attending a meeting of either Council by virtue of any provision of section 52A or this section shall act in accordance with any decisions of the Assembly or the Executive Committee (by virtue of section 20) which are relevant to his participation in the Council concerned.7In this section “appropriate Minister”, in relation to a meeting of the North-South Ministerial Council or the British-Irish Council, has the same meaning as in section 52A.Ss. 52A-52C substituted for s. 52 (8.5.2007) by Northern Ireland (St Andrews Agreement) Act 2006 (c. 53), ss. 12, 27(4)(5) (as amended by Northern Ireland (St Andrews Agreement) Act 2007 (c. 4), s. 1(1)), (with s. 1(3)); S.I. 2007/1397, art. 2