The Northern Ireland Arms Decommissioning Act 1997 (Amnesty Period) Order 2005

Statutory Instruments

2005 No. 418

NORTHERN IRELAND

The Northern Ireland Arms Decommissioning Act 1997 (Amnesty Period) Order 2005

Made

24th February 2005

Coming into force

25th February 2005

Whereas a draft of this Order has been laid before Parliament and approved by resolution of each House of Parliament:

Now, therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred upon him by section 2(2)(b) of the Northern Ireland Arms Decommissioning Act 1997(1), 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 2005 and shall come into force on 25th February 2005.

Appointed day

2.  The day hereby appointed for the purposes of section 2(2)(b) of the Northern Ireland Arms Decommissioning Act 1997 is 24th February 2006, being not more than twelve months after the day on which this Order is made or later than 27th February 2007.

Revocation

3.  The Northern Ireland Arms Decommissioning Act 1997 (Amnesty Period) Order 2004(2) is hereby revoked.

Ian Pearson

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State

Northern Ireland Office

24th February 2005

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Order)

Under section 2(1) of the Northern Ireland Arms Decommissioning Act 1997 (“the 1997 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”). The 1997 Act was amended by the Northern Ireland Arms Decommissioning (Amendment) Act 2002 (“the 2002 Act”). Under section 2(3) of the 1997 Act, as amended, the day appointed by Order under section 2(2)(b) must be no more than twelve months after the date on which the Order was made and no later than 27th February 2003 or such later date as the Secretary of State may from time to time appoint.

The Northern Ireland Arms Decommissioning Act 1997 (Amnesty Period) Order 2004 (S.I.2004/464) appointed 25th February 2005 as the day before which the amnesty period identified in a decommissioning scheme must end. This Order appoints 24th February 2006 as the day before which the amnesty period identified in a decommissioning scheme must end.

(1)

1997 c. 7. The powers in section 2(2)(b) of the Northern Ireland Arms Decommissioning Act 1997 are restricted by section 2(3) of the Act as amended by the Northern Ireland Arms Decommissioning (Amendment) Act 2002 (c. 6).

(2)

S.I.2004/464.