To ask the Minister for Communities why his Department stopped the Coronavirus Act 2020 and The Local Government (Meetings and Performance) Act (Northern Ireland) 2021 before the 40-day approval period for the current extension.

During the period that the Assembly was dissolved, a number of orders were made, by the confirmatory procedure, to extend the expiry date of section 78 of the Coronavirus Act 2020.

The Coronavirus Act specifies that an order made under the confirmatory procedure ceases to have effect at the end of the period of 40 days beginning with the day on which the order is made unless, during that period, it is approved by resolution of the Assembly. In calculating the 40-day period, no account is taken of any time during which the Assembly is dissolved, in recess for more than 4 days, or adjourned for more than 6 days.

The Department received advice in calculating the 40-day period which indicates that times when the Assembly was recalled count as 7 days towards the 40-day period i.e. the day of the sitting and the 6 days following, during which the Assembly is adjourned. Section 78 of the Coronavirus Act therefore ceased to have effect on 7 March 2024.

For clarification the Local Government (Meetings and Performance) Act (NI) 2021 remains in force and provides the vehicle for my department to make more permanent regulations for remote meetings.