{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/northern-ireland-act-1998/schedule-6A/paragraph-3",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/northern-ireland-act-1998/schedule-6A/paragraph-3.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/1998/47",
  "legislation_title": "Northern Ireland Act 1998",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/northern-ireland-act-1998",
  "path": "schedule/6A/paragraph/3",
  "kind": "paragraph",
  "number": "3",
  "heading": "Meaning of “continuation period”, “current period” etc",
  "text": "(1) In this Schedule—\n“continuation period” means—\n(a)the period of four years or eight years (as determined in accordance with sub-paragraph (2)) that begins with the day that follows the last day of the initial period;\n(b)each subsequent period of four years or eight years (as determined in accordance with sub-paragraph (2)) that begins with the day that follows the last day of the preceding continuation period;\n“current period”, in relation to a new continuation period, means—\n(a)the initial period, in the case where that period immediately precedes the new continuation period, or\n(b)the continuation period which immediately precedes the new continuation period, in any other case;\n“initial period” means the period of four years that begins with the day that follows IP completion day;\n“new continuation period” means, at any particular time, the first continuation period that is to begin after that time.\n(2) The duration of a continuation period is to be—\n(a) four years if the consent resolution which relates to that continuation period was passed by a majority of the members voting but not with cross-community support;\n(b) eight years if the consent resolution which relates to that continuation period was passed with cross-community support.\n(3) In this Schedule, a period set out in an entry in the first column of this table has the meaning given in the corresponding entry in the second column of the table—\nPeriod\nMeaning\n“final two months of the current period”\nthe period of two months ending with the last day of that current period\n“final one month of the current period”\nthe period of one month ending with the last day of that current period\n“final 25 days of the current period”\nthe period of 25 days ending with the last day of that current period\n“final 15 days of the current period”\nthe period of 15 days ending with the last day of that current period\n“final 5 days of the current period”\nthe period of 5 days ending with the last day of that current period",
  "extent": "E+W+S+N.I.",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "Sch. 6A inserted (10.12.2020) by The Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland (Democratic Consent Process) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1500), regs. 1(2), 2(3)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1998/47/schedule/6A/paragraph/3",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T09:22:12.253813+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."
}