Northern Ireland (Interim Arrangements) Bill 2022-23

The Northern Ireland (Interim Arrangements) Bill 2022-23 was introduced to the House of Commons on Thursday 27 April 2023. It is due to be taken through all its remaining Commons stages on Wednesday 10 May.

The Bill makes “interim” arrangements in the continuing absence of a fully functioning Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive. It will:

• provide for senior civil servants in nine Northern Ireland Departments to continue to exercise certain functions when in the public interest, notwithstanding the ongoing lack of Northern Ireland Ministers;
• confer on the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland the power to commission advice or request information from Northern Ireland Departments for the purpose of developing options for raising more public revenue in Northern Ireland, or otherwise improving the sustainability of public finances in Northern Ireland;
• confer on the Secretary of State the power to direct Northern Ireland Departments to carry out consultations for the same two purposes; and
• require certain accounts, reports and other financial documents that must be laid in the Northern Ireland Assembly also to be laid in the UK Parliament when the Northern Ireland Assembly is not fully functioning.

The text of the Northern Ireland (Interim Arrangements) Bill and its Explanatory Notes are available on the Bill pages on the Parliamentary website.