UK Act of Parliament 1998 United Kingdom

Northern Ireland Act 1998

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At a glance

Enforced by

UK Government

What's here

40 compliance obligations, 6 practical guides across 4 topics · 4 journeys

Penalty landscape

3 of 40 obligations carry an unlimited fine. 2 carry different penalties and 35 have no criminal penalty — flagged in the list below.

Who this Act binds

Business-side actors with duties under this Act, ranked by how often they appear.

  • Any Person 5
  • Director or Officer 1

Plus 34 non-business duties on Crown ministers, regulators, local authorities or tribunals — shown collapsed under each section below.

Step-by-step journeys using this legislation

Walkthroughs that take you from a real business situation to compliance.

Relevant guidance

Practical guides for businesses affected by this Act, ordered by how closely they engage with it.

Direct — cites this Act

4 guides

Supporting — topic alignment

1 guides

Mentioned in related content

1 guides

Other Acts binding the same actors

For each actor bound by this Act, the other UK Acts that bind them most often. Useful for understanding the full compliance landscape facing each role.

Any Person also bound by 749 other Acts (top 5 shown)
Directors and Officers also bound by 224 other Acts (top 5 shown)

What this Act requires

Sections that create concrete duties on businesses or carry penalties. Procedural and definitional sections are folded into the “Browse other sections” expander at the bottom of each group. Click any section title to read the source text on legislation.gov.uk.

Part I — Preliminary

Browse 3 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part II — Legislative Powers

s.009

Scrutiny by Ministers.

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Ministers must certify the legislative competence of Northern Ireland Bills Crown / Minister / Government department
s.010

Scrutiny by Presiding Officer.

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Secretary of State must consent to Bills involving reserved matters Crown / Minister / Government department
s.013

Stages of Bills.

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Northern Ireland Assembly must follow specific stages when passing Bills Crown / Minister / Government department
Browse 9 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement
s.006

Restriction relating to retained EU law

s.007

Cross-community support required for Bill altering size of Assembly

Part III — Executive Authorities

s.016

Vacancies in the office of First Minister or deputy First Minister

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Assembly members must nominate First and deputy First Ministers to fill vacancies Crown / Minister / Government department
s.021

Northern Ireland department with policing and justice functions

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Secretary of State may establish a policing and justice department via Order Crown / Minister / Government department
s.028

Strategies relating to Irish language and Ulster Scots language etc

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Executive Committee must adopt Irish and Ulster Scots language strategies Crown / Minister / Government department
s.028

Strategy relating to poverty, social exclusion etc

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Executive Committee must adopt and review a strategy to tackle poverty Crown / Minister / Government department
s.029

Statutory committees.

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Northern Ireland Assembly must establish statutory committees Crown / Minister / Government department
s.029

Committee to review functioning of Assembly and Executive Committee

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Assembly Committee must review and report on Executive functioning Crown / Minister / Government department
s.029

Review of operation of sections 16A to 16C

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Assembly review committee must evaluate executive selection rules Crown / Minister / Government department
s.029

Review of functions relating to judicial appointments and removals

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Assembly committees must review judicial appointment and removal processes Crown / Minister / Government department
Browse 24 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement
s.016

Appointment of First Minister, deputy First Minister and Northern Ireland Ministers following Assembly election

s.016

Sections 16A and 16B: supplementary

s.019

Disqualification for certain offices which may be held by members of the Assembly.

s.021

Section 21A(5A) and (7C): transitional provision

s.021

Section 21A(5A) and (7C): power of Assembly to secure retention or abolition of deputy Ministerial office

s.028

Ministerial Code

s.028

Power to refer Ministerial decision to Executive Committee

s.028

Power of Executive Committee to call for witnesses and documents

s.030

Secretary of State’s powers in relation to exclusion

s.030

Secretary of State’s powers in exceptional circumstances

Part IV — The Northern Ireland Assembly

s.040

Commission.

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Northern Ireland Assembly Commission must provide property, staff, and services Statutory regulator
s.040

Undertaking by members

  • Assembly members must give an undertaking before participating Any Person
s.043

Members’ interests.

Unlimited fine
  • Failure of Assembly Member to register or declare financial interests Any Person
s.046

Witnesses: oaths.

3 months imprisonment
  • Refuse to take an oath when giving evidence to the NI Assembly Any Person
s.047

Remuneration of members.

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Northern Ireland Assembly must determine and pay member salaries Crown / Minister / Government department
Browse 23 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement
s.047

Resolutions about reduction of remuneration

s.047

Secretary of State’s powers in relation to reduction of remuneration

s.047

Section 47A : specified periods and extensions

s.051

Resolutions about reduction of financial assistance

s.051

Secretary of State’s powers in relation to reduction of financial assistance

s.051

Section 51A : specified periods and extensions

s.051

Censure resolutions

Part 5A — EU WITHDRAWAL: Democratic Consent and Scrutiny

Browse 2 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement
s.056

Democratic consent process

s.056

Application of EU acts

Part V — NSMC, BIC, BIIC etc.

s.052

North-South Ministerial Council and British-Irish Council

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Ministers must notify First Ministers of Council attendance and agendas Crown / Minister / Government department
s.052

Section 52A: duty to attend Council meetings etc

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Ministers must participate in and share information for Council meetings Crown / Minister / Government department
s.056

Civic Forum.

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • First and deputy First Ministers must consult with the Civic Forum Crown / Minister / Government department
Browse 4 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement
s.052

Sections 52A and 52B: supplementary

Part VI — Financial Provisions

s.058

Payments into the Fund.

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Secretary of State must fund the Northern Ireland Consolidated Fund Crown / Minister / Government department
s.062

Accounts.

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Secretary of State must prepare and submit accounts for NI advances Crown / Minister / Government department
s.063

Financial acts of the Assembly.

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Minister of Finance must recommend financial legislation to the Assembly Crown / Minister / Government department
s.064

Draft budgets.

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Minister of Finance must lay annual draft budgets before the Assembly Crown / Minister / Government department
s.067

Accounts etc to be laid before House of Commons if no functioning Assembly

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Secretary of State must lay Northern Ireland documents before House of Commons Crown / Minister / Government department
Browse 6 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part 7A — National and Cultural Identity

Browse 4 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement
s.078

National and cultural identity principles

s.078

The Office of Identity and Cultural Expression

s.078

Functions of the Office of Identity and Cultural Expression

s.078

Further functions: establishing the Castlereagh Foundation

Part 7B — The Irish Language

s.078

Irish language best practice standards

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Irish Language Commissioner must prepare best practice standards Statutory regulator
s.078

Review and revision of best practice standards

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Irish Language Commissioner must review and update best practice standards Statutory regulator
s.078

Duty to have regard to best practice standards

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Public authorities must follow and publish plans for best practice standards Statutory regulator
Browse 5 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement
s.078

Recognition of the status of the Irish language

s.078

The Irish Language Commissioner

s.078

Functions of the Commissioner

s.078

Complaints

s.078

Meaning of “public authority”

Part 7C — The Ulster Scots and the Ulster British tradition

Browse 4 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement
s.078

The Commissioner

s.078

Functions of the Commissioner

s.078

Complaints

s.078

Meaning of “public authority”

Part VII — Human Rights and Equal Opportunities

s.069

Investigations: evidence

Unlimited fine
  • Fail to cooperate with a Human Rights Commission investigation Any Person
s.069

Investigations: places of detention

Unlimited fine
  • Fail to comply with a court order regarding site investigations Any Person
s.078

NIHRC functions in relation to EU withdrawal agreement

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • NIHRC must monitor and advise on EU Withdrawal Agreement human rights Statutory regulator
s.078

ECNI functions in relation to EU withdrawal agreement

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • ECNI must monitor and advise on EU withdrawal equality protections Statutory regulator
Browse 16 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement
s.069

Investigations: national security

s.069

Investigations: terms of reference

s.078

Power of Commissions to bring, or intervene in, legal proceedings

s.078

Power of Commissions to assist persons in legal proceedings

s.078

Collaborative working

Part VIII — Miscellaneous

s.094

Land purchase annuities etc.

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Department of Agriculture must collect land purchase annuities Crown / Minister / Government department
Browse 17 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement
s.086

Provision for transfer of functions relating to extradition etc.

s.086

Provision for entrenching enactments

Part IX — Supplemental

Browse 9 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement
s.095

Directions under sections 30A, 47B and 51B

s.096

Explanatory statements in relation to certain regulations

Schedules

s.009

Equality: enforcement of duties

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Public authorities must create and submit an equality scheme Crown / Minister / Government department
s.sch006

Standing orders: further provision

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Northern Ireland Assembly must establish standing orders for proceedings Crown / Minister / Government department
s.sch006b

EU WITHDRAWAL: WINDSOR FRAMEWORK DEMOCRATIC SCRUTINY

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Windsor Framework Committee must engage with businesses on new EU acts Statutory regulator
Browse 19 other Schedules — structural / supplementary
s.sch004a

Department with policing and justice functions

s.sch006a

EU WITHDRAWAL: DEMOCRATIC CONSENT PROCESS

s.sch009a

The Office of Identity and Cultural Expression

s.sch009b

The Irish Language Commissioner

s.sch009c

Commissioner for the Ulster Scots and the Ulster British tradition

s.sch012a

Effect of application of section 95A(6) or (7)

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