Northern Ireland (Executive Formation etc) Bill 2022-23

The Northern Ireland (Executive Formation etc) Bill 2022-23 was introduced in the House of Commons on Monday 21 November 2022. All its remaining Commons stages are due to take place on Tuesday 29 November.

The statutory period for filling Ministerial offices in Northern Ireland, including those of the First and deputy First Minister, expired on 28 October 2022. As those offices were not filled, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland fell under a legal obligation to propose a date for a further Assembly election. The Bill – which is being fast-tracked – seeks to:

• Extend retrospectively the period for Executive formation by 6 weeks – from 28 October to 8 December 2022 – with the potential for a further 6-week extension to 19 January 2023, via Statutory Instrument;
• Clarify the decision-making powers of “senior officers” (civil servants) of Northern Ireland Departments to manage the delivery of public services either until an Executive is reformed, or for 6 months from enactment of the Bill, whichever is sooner;
• Provide for key public appointments to be made in the absence of Northern Ireland Ministers;
• Provide for action to be taken to reduce the salary of Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) in the absence of a fully functioning Assembly; and
• Enable the Secretary of State to set Northern Ireland’s domestic and non-domestic regional rates (equivalent to council tax and business rates in Great Britain) for the 2023/24 financial year via Statutory Instrument.

The text of the Bill and its Explanatory Notes are available on the Bill pages on the Parliamentary website.