The Northern Ireland Arms Decommissioning Act 1997 (Amnesty Period) Order 2001

Statutory Instruments

2001 No. 1622

NORTHERN IRELAND

The Northern Ireland Arms Decommissioning Act 1997 (Amnesty Period) Order 2001

Made

13th April 2001

Coming into force

14th April 2001

Whereas a draft of this Order has been laid before Parliament in accordance with section 2(4) of the Northern Ireland Arms Decommissioning Act 1997(1) (hereinafter “the Act”) and approved by resolution of each House of Parliament:

Now, therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred on him by section 2(2)(b) of the Act, the Secretary of State hereby makes the following Order:

Citation and commencement

1.  This order may be cited as the Northern Ireland Arms Decommissioning Act 1997 (Amnesty Period) Order 2001 and shall come into force on the day after the day on which it is made.

Appointed day

2.  The day hereby appointed for the purposes of section 2(2)(b) of the Act is 27th February 2002, being not more than twelve months after the day on which this Order is made or more than five years after the day on which the Act was passed.

3.  The Northern Ireland Arms Decommissioning Act 1997 (Amnesty Period) (No. 2) Order 2000(2) is hereby revoked.

John Reid

One of Her Majesty’s Principal Secretaries of State

Northern Ireland Office

13th April 2001

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Order)

Under section 2(1) of the Northern Ireland Arms Decommissioning Act 1997 (“the Act”) a decommissioning scheme must identify a period during which firearms, ammunition and explosives may be dealt with in accordance with the scheme (“the amnesty period”). Under subsection (2) of section 2, the amnesty period must end before the first anniversary of the day on which the Act was passed or such later day as the Secretary of State may by order from time to time appoint. Under subsection (3) of that section, a day appointed by such an order must not be more than twelve months after the day on which the order was made or more than five years after the day on which the Act was passed. The Act was passed on 27th February 1997.

This Order appoints 27th February 2002 as the day before which the amnesty period identified in a decommissioning scheme must end. The Order revokes the fourth Order made under section 2(2) (S.I. 2000/1409) which appointed 20th May 2001 for the purposes of section 2(2)(b).

(1)

1997 c. 7

(2)

S.I. 2000/1409.