# Civil Service (Special Advisers) Act (Northern Ireland) 2013, Section 2: Special advisers: serious criminal convictions


(1) Subject to subsection (2) and section 3, a person is not eligible for appointment as a special adviser if the person has a serious criminal conviction.
(2) Where a Minister proposes to appoint as a special adviser a person who has a serious criminal conviction, that person may refer the proposed appointment to the Department of Finance and Personnel.
(3) Where a person who holds an appointment as a special adviser incurs a serious criminal conviction, that person's appointment terminates immediately by virtue of this Act.
(4) Where on the date of coming into operation of this subsection a person—
(a) holds an appointment as a special adviser, and
(b) has before that date incurred a serious criminal conviction,
that person's appointment terminates immediately by virtue of this Act.
(5) But a person to whom subsection (4) will apply may refer the appointment to the Department, within 21 days of this subsection coming into operation.
(6) A Minister must inform the Department in writing whether any special adviser appointed by the Minister has a serious criminal conviction.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/nia/2013/8/section/2 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/civil-service-special-advisers-act-northern-ireland-2013/section-2
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.