Northern Ireland Act 2017 Receives Royal Assent
The Northern Ireland (Ministerial Appointments and Regional Rates) Act 2017, introduced by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland last week, has today received Royal Assent.
The Act sets a Regional Rate for Northern Ireland in 2017-18, removes a legal barrier to the formation of an Executive and provides an extension to the period in which a new Executive could be formed.
Welcoming the news, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, the Rt. Hon. James Brokenshire MP, said: “This legislation provides the flexibility for an incoming Government to act in the best interests of Northern Ireland and the space for an Executive to be formed before the 29 June deadline.
“All the parties involved recognise it is vital that devolved government, and all of the institutions established under the Belfast Agreement and its successors, resumes in Northern Ireland as soon as possible.”
