Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014

9 Reappointment of other Northern Ireland Ministers in certain cases

In Part 1A of Schedule 4A to the Northern Ireland Act 1998 (department with policing and justice functions), after paragraph 3D insert—

Reappointment of other Northern Ireland Ministers in certain cases

3E (1) Where the first condition or the second condition is met—

(a) all the Northern Ireland Ministers other than the relevant Minister cease to hold office, and

(b) those Ministerial offices must be filled by applying section 18(2) to (6) within a period specified in standing orders.

(2) The first condition is that—

(a) the relevant Minister ceased to hold office by virtue of paragraph 3D(1)(a), and the office was filled by virtue of paragraph 3D(1)(b),

(b) paragraph 3D(1) applied because a resolution was passed under section 30(2) which caused no Ministerial office other than the relevant Ministerial office to become vacant, and

(c) as a result of the events mentioned in paragraph (a) the total number of Ministerial offices held by members of a political party increased or decreased.

(3) The second condition is that—

(a) the relevant Minister (“the former Minister”) ceased to hold office otherwise than by virtue of paragraph 3D(1)(a), and the office was filled by virtue of paragraph 3D(14), and

(b) as a result of the events mentioned in paragraph (a) the total number of Ministerial offices held by members of a political party increased or decreased.

(4) But the second condition is not met where—

(a) the former Minister ceased to hold office by virtue of being dismissed by a nominating officer under paragraph 3D(11)(ba),

(b) immediately before the office was filled there was at least one eligible member of the nominating officer’s political party, and

(c) each such eligible member failed to fill the office for one or other of the following reasons.

(5) Those reasons are—

(a) that one or more members of the Assembly sought to nominate the eligible member for the office, but consent to the nomination was not given by the nominating officer in accordance with paragraph 3D(4A);

(b) that the eligible member was nominated for the office but did not take it up within the period specified in standing orders under paragraph 3D(7)(a).

(6) References in this paragraph to an eligible member of a political party are to a member of that party who is also a member of the Assembly, but do not include the former Minister.”