Statutory Instruments
2010 No. 2944
Northern Ireland
The Northern Ireland Assembly (Minimum Period) Order 2010
Made
9th December 2010
Laid before Parliament
14th December 2010
Coming into force
10th January 2011
The Secretary of State in exercise of the power conferred by section 31(6) of the Northern Ireland Act 1998( 1 ) makes the following Order:
Citation and commencement
1. —(1) This Order may be cited as the Northern Ireland Assembly (Minimum Period) Order 2010.
(2) This Order comes into force on 10th January 2011.
Dissolution of the Northern Ireland Assembly: Minimum Period
2. —(1) The minimum period for the purpose of section 31(6) of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 (dates of elections and dissolutions) is 26 days.
(2) Rule 2 of the Assembly Elections Rules( 2 ) applies when computing the period mentioned in paragraph (1).
Owen Paterson
One of Her Majesty’s Principal Secretaries of State
Northern Ireland Office
9th December 2010
1998 c.47 ; subsections (3) and (5) of section 31 were amended by section 1 of the Northern Ireland Assembly Elections Act 2003 (c.3) ; subsection (1) of section 31 was amended, and subsection (2) substituted, by section 2 of, and paragraph 2 of Schedule 3 to, the Northern Ireland (St Andrews Agreement) Act 2006 (c.53) .
The Assembly Elections Rules are contained in Schedule 1 to the Northern Ireland Assembly (Elections) Order 2001 ( S.I. 2001/2599 ). That Schedule was substituted by Schedule 1 to S.I. 2009/256 .