Northern Ireland (Executive Formation and Exercise of Functions) Bill 2017-19

The Northern Ireland (Executive Formation and Exercise of Functions) Bill 2017-19 was introduced into the House of Commons on 18 October 2018. The text of the Bill and Explanatory Notes will be made available on the Bill pages on the Parliamentary website. At the Business Question on 18 October, the Leader of the House, Andrea Leadsom MP, announced that the Government’s intention is for all of the House of Commons stages of the Bill to be taken on Wednesday 24 October.

The Bill would provide authority for the UK Government to suspend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland’s obligation to call another Assembly election for a time-limited period, enable civil servants to take certain decisions in the absence of Northern Ireland Ministers, and permit UK Ministers to make some public appointments in the absence of a fully-functioning Assembly and Executive.