{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/northern-ireland-act-1998/schedule-9A/paragraph-3",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/northern-ireland-act-1998/schedule-9A/paragraph-3.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/1998/47",
  "legislation_title": "Northern Ireland Act 1998",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/northern-ireland-act-1998",
  "path": "schedule/9A/paragraph/3",
  "kind": "paragraph",
  "number": "3",
  "heading": "Tenure of members",
  "text": "(1) Subject to the provisions of this Schedule, a person holds office as a member in accordance with the terms of the person’s appointment.\n(2) A person may not be appointed as a member for more than five years at a time, or more than twice.\n(3) A person may resign as a member by notice in writing to the First Minister and deputy First Minister.\n(4) The First Minister and deputy First Minister acting jointly may dismiss a person from office as a member by notice in writing if satisfied that the person—\n(a) has without reasonable excuse failed to discharge the functions of the office for a continuous period of three months beginning not earlier than six months before the day of dismissal;\n(b) has been convicted of a criminal offence;\n(c) has become bankrupt or the subject of a bankruptcy restrictions order, a debt relief order or a debt relief restrictions order, or has made a voluntary arrangement;\n(d) is unable or unfit to carry out the functions of the office of a member.\n(5) Each of the expressions used in sub-paragraph (4)(c) has the same meaning as in the Insolvency (Northern Ireland) Order 1989 (S.I. 1989/2405 (N.I. 19).",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "Sch. 9A inserted (22.5.2023) by Identity and Language (Northern Ireland) Act 2022 (c. 45), s. 10(2), Sch. 1; S.I. 2023/566, reg. 2(b)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1998/47/schedule/9A/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."
}