Report of the
Examiner of Statutory Rules
to
the Assembly
and
the Appropriate Committees

10 December 2010
NIA 29 /10/11R

Committee for Agriculture and Rural Development	S.R. 2010 Nos. 380, 384
Committee for Employment and Learning	S.R. 2010 Nos. 383
Committee for Finance and Personnel	S.R. 2010 Nos. 382
Committee for Justice	S.R. 2010 No. 377, 379, 381
Committee for Social Development	S.R. 2010 No. 378

1. In accordance with the delegations in respect of the technical scrutiny of statutory rules under Standing Order 41(4)(b) (now renumbered as Standing Order 43(4)(b)) given to the Examiner of Statutory Rules by the appropriate Committees on 11, 16, 17 and 18 May 2007 and 22 April 2010, I submit my report on the statutory rules listed in the Appendix.

2. My terms of reference are essentially set out in Standing Order 43(6) (taken with the delegations under Standing Order 43(4)(b)). They are as follows:

“(6) In scrutinising an instrument the appropriate Committee shall inter alia consider the instrument with a view to determining and reporting on whether it requires to be drawn to the special attention of the Assembly on any of the following grounds, namely, that –

(a) it imposes a charge on the public revenues or prescribes the amount of any such charge;

(b) it contains provisions requiring any payment to be made to any Northern Ireland department or public body in respect of any approval, authorisation, licence or consent or of any service provided or to be provided by that department or body or prescribes the amount of any such payment;

(c) the parent legislation excludes it from challenge in the courts;

(d) it purports to have retrospective effect where the parent legislation confers no express authority so to provide;

(e) there appears to have been unjustifiable delay in the publication of it or in the laying of it before the Assembly;

(f) there appears to be a doubt whether it is intra vires or it appears to make some unusual or unexpected use of the powers conferred by the parent legislation;

(g) it calls for elucidation;

(h) it appears to have defects in its drafting;

or on any other ground which does not impinge on its merits or the policy behind it.”.

Statutory rules to which attention is drawn in this report

3. I do not draw attention to any of the statutory rules listed in the Appendix.

W G Nabney
Examiner of Statutory Rules
10 December 2010

Appendix

(The attention of the appropriate Committees and the Assembly is drawn to those statutory rules marked in bold)

Statutory rules subject to negative resolution

Police Service of Northern Ireland and Police Service of Northern Ireland Reserve (Full-Time) (Severance) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010 (S.R. 2010/377)

The Social Fund Maternity and Funeral Expenses (General) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010 (S.R. 2010/378)

The Family Proceedings (Amendment) Rules (Northern Ireland) 2010 (S.R. 2010/379)

The Animals and Animal Products (Import and Export) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010 (S.R. 2010/380)

The Rules of the Court of Judicature (Northern Ireland) (Amendment No. 2) 2010 (S.R. 2010/381)

The Building (Amendment No. 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010 (S.R. 2010/382)

The Education (Student Support) (Amendment No. 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010 (S.R. 2010/383)

The Plant Health (Import Inspection Fees) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010 (S.R. 2010/384)