Section 3: Disqualification for certain Assembly offices
12.Section 3 amends the 1998 Act to provide that members of the Assembly who are Ministers of the Government of Ireland or chairman or deputy chairman of committees of the Irish legislature may not hold certain offices connected to the Northern Ireland Assembly.
13.Subsection (1) amends section 29 of the 1998 Act (statutory committees) so as to provide that a member of the Assembly who holds an office mentioned in paragraph 12 above may not be the chairman or deputy chairman of a statutory committee of the Assembly.
Section 29 of the 1998 Act provides that standing orders shall make provision for the establishing of committees of the Assembly to be known as statutory committees and for the nomination of chairmen and deputy chairmen to them. The function of the statutory committees is to advise and assist each Northern Ireland Minister in the formulation of policy with respect to matters within his responsibilities as a Minister.
14.Subsection (2) amends section 40 of the 1998 Act (which makes provision as to the Northern Ireland Assembly Commission) so as to provide that a member of the Assembly who holds an office mentioned in paragraph 12 above may not be appointed as a member of the Commission.
Subsection (2) of section 40 of the 1998 Act provides that the members of the Commission shall be the Presiding Officer of the Assembly and the prescribed number of members of the Assembly appointed in accordance with standing orders.