{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/draft-draft-local-government-indemnities-for-members-and-officers-order-northern-ireland-2012/note",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/draft-draft-local-government-indemnities-for-members-and-officers-order-northern-ireland-2012/note.json",
  "legislation": "nidsr/2012/9780337989179",
  "legislation_title": "Draft Local Government (Indemnities for Members and Officers) Order (Northern Ireland) 2012",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/draft-draft-local-government-indemnities-for-members-and-officers-order-northern-ireland-2012",
  "path": "note",
  "kind": "note",
  "number": null,
  "heading": "Explanatory note",
  "text": "(This note is not part of the Order)\nThis Order provides for circumstances in which a council may provide indemnities to any of its members or officers. These powers are in addition to any existing powers that councils may have.\nArticle 3 enables a council to provide an indemnity by means of the council securing the provision of an insurance policy for the members or officers.\nArticle 4 sets out the cases in which indemnities (including those provided by insurance) may be provided. This Article restricts the power to cases in which the member or officer in question is carrying on any function at the request of, with the approval of, or for the purposes of, the council. It extends to cases where, when exercising the function in question, the member or officer does so in a capacity other than that of a member or officer of the council.\nArticle 5 prevents the provision of an indemnity (or securing of insurance) in relation to criminal acts, any other intentional wrongdoing, fraud, recklessness, or in relation to the bringing of (but not the defence of) any action in defamation.\nArticle 6 gives a limited power to provide an indemnity (including an indemnity provided by insurance) where the action or inaction in question is outside the powers of the council itself or outside the powers of the member or officer who acts. It also covers cases in which a member or officer makes a statement that certain steps have been taken or requirements fulfilled but it later becomes clear that this is not the case. This provision is limited to cases in which the person indemnified:\nreasonably believed that the matter in question was not outside those powers, or\nwhere a document has been issued containing an untrue statement as to the council’s powers, or as to the steps taken or requirements fulfilled, reasonably believed that the statement was true when it was issued or authorised.\nArticle 7 provides that the terms of any indemnity (including insurance secured) may be such as a council shall agree. The terms must include provision for re-payment of sums expended by the council or insurer in cases in which a member or officer has been convicted of a criminal offence (if the indemnity or insurance policy would otherwise cover the proceedings leading to that conviction). Any sums recoverable may be recovered as a civil debt.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/nidsr/2012/9780337989179/note",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-30T15:41:14.146191+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}