Royal Assent: Northern Ireland (Regional Rates and Energy) Bill
29 March 2019
The Northern Ireland (Regional Rates and Energy) Bill received Royal Assent on 12 February 2019. It becomes the Northern Ireland (Regional Rates and Energy) Act 2019.
What is Northern Ireland (Regional Rates and Energy) Bill 2019?
The Northern Ireland (Regional Rates and Energy) (No. 2) Bill 2017-19 was introduced to the House of Commons on 28 February 2019. The Bill would provide authority for the UK Government to take three actions arising from the ongoing absence of a fully-functioning Northern Ireland Executive:
- setting the level of regional domestic and non-domestic rates for the financial year ending 31 March 2020;
- implementing a long-term tariff structure for the Northern Ireland Non-Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) Scheme; and
- introducing voluntary “buy-out” arrangements under which participants can apply to receive a one-off payment enabling them to withdraw from the Scheme.
The Act received Royal Assent on 26 March 2019, having completed all its parliamentary stages. It becomes the Northern Ireland (Regional Rates and Energy) Act 2019, with some parts coming into force on 26 March, with subsequent parts coming in on 1st April and 26 May.
You can follow its passage, from first reading to Act of Parliament, below.
Northern Ireland (Regional Rates and Energy) Bill 2019: Parliamentary passage
You can find explanatory information, bill documents, impartial supporting research and links to transcripts and video of proceedings in both Houses of Parliament:
- Parliament News: House of Commons stages
- House of Lords Hansard: Northern Ireland (Regional Rates and Energy) Bill
- Commons Library Briefing: Northern Ireland (Regional Rates and Energy) Bill 2019
- Lords Library Briefing: Northern Ireland (Regional Rates and Energy) Bill 2019
- Bill Documents: Northern Ireland (Regional Rates and Energy) Bill 2019
What is Royal Assent?
Once a bill has completed all the parliamentary stages in both Houses, it is ready to receive Royal Assent. This is when the Queen formally agrees to make the bill into an Act of Parliament (law).
There is no set time period between the end of a bill's passage through Parliament and Royal Assent.
Image: Royalty free