{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/justice-act-northern-ireland-2016/schedule-3/paragraph-7",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/justice-act-northern-ireland-2016/schedule-3/paragraph-7.json",
  "legislation": "nia/2016/21",
  "legislation_title": "Justice Act (Northern Ireland) 2016",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/justice-act-northern-ireland-2016",
  "path": "schedule/3/paragraph/7",
  "kind": "paragraph",
  "number": "7",
  "heading": null,
  "text": "(1) Where the office of Ombudsman becomes vacant, the Department may appoint a person as acting Ombudsman.\n(2) Any person holding office as acting Ombudsman ceases to hold that office—\n(a) on the appointment of a new Ombudsman; or\n(b) at the end of the period of one year beginning with the day on which the vacancy arose,\nwhichever first occurs.\n(3) Otherwise, a person appointed as acting Ombudsman holds office in accordance with the terms of appointment.\n(4) A person holding office as acting Ombudsman is to be treated for all purposes (apart from those of paragraphs 1 to 6) as the Ombudsman.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": "prospective",
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/nia/2016/21/schedule/3/paragraph/7",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T20:19:52.150204+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."
}