{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/northern-ireland-troubles-legacy-and-reconciliation-act-2023/section-60",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/northern-ireland-troubles-legacy-and-reconciliation-act-2023/section-60.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/2023/41",
  "legislation_title": "Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/northern-ireland-troubles-legacy-and-reconciliation-act-2023",
  "path": "section/60",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "60",
  "heading": "Interpretation",
  "text": "(1) In this Act, each expression set out in an entry in the first column of the following table is to be read in accordance with the corresponding entry in the second column—\nExpression\nInterpretation\nChief Commissioner\nThe Commissioner appointed under section 2(3)(a).\nchief officer\nThis means—\nthe chief constable of a police force maintained under section 2 of the Police Act 1996 (police forces in England and Wales outside London);\nthe Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis;\nthe Commissioner of Police for the City of London;\nthe chief constable of the Police Service of Scotland;\nthe chief constable of the Ministry of Defence Police;\nthe chief constable of the British Transport Police.\nCommissioner for Investigations\nThe Commissioner appointed under section 2(3)(b).\nCommissioners\nThe members of the ICRIR appointed under section 2(3)(a), (b) and (c).\nconduct\nThis has the meaning given in section 1.\nconduct forming part of the Troubles\nThis has the meaning given in section 1.\nconnected Troubles-related offence\nThis has the meaning given in section 1.\nevent forming part of the Troubles\nThis has the meaning given in section 1.\nexcepted matter\nThis has the meaning given by section 4(1) ofthe Northern Ireland Act 1998.\nfinal report\nA report under section 15 on the findings of a review of a death or a review of other harmful conduct forming part of the Troubles.\nfinancial year\nThis has the meaning given in section 2(14).\nGCHQ\nThis has the same meaning as in the Intelligence Services Act 1994.\nHis Majesty’s forces\nThis has the same meaning as in the Armed Forces Act 2006 (see section 374 of that Act).\nhistorical record\nThis has the meaning given in section 2(5)(f).\nthe ICRIR\nThe Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery.\nICRIR contractor\nA person providing, or being employed in the provision of, goods or services for the purposes of the ICRIR.\nICRIR officers\nThis has the meaning given in section 3(4).\nimmunity function\nThe function of determining whether to grant persons immunity from prosecution conferred by section 2(5)(d).\nimmunity requests panel\nThe panel formed in accordance with section 22.\ninspector of constabulary for Northern Ireland\nAn inspector of constabulary for NorthernIreland (appointed under section 41 of thePolice (Northern Ireland) Act 1998).\nlegislation\nPrimary legislation and subordinate legislation.\nnational authority\nThis means has the meaning given in section 58(3)\nNorthern Ireland affairs\nThis has the meaning given in section 1.\nother harmful conduct forming part of the Troubles\nThis has the meaning given in section 1.\nperiod of operation of the ICRIR\nThe period beginning with the day on which section 2(5) comes into force.\npolice force in Great Britain\nThis means—\na police force maintained under section 2 of the Police Act 1996 (police forces in England and Wales outside London);\nthe metropolitan police force;\nthe City of London police force;\nthe Police Service of Scotland;\nthe Ministry of Defence Police;\nthe British Transport Police.\nprejudicial information\nInformation which, if disclosed generally, would risk putting, or would put, the life or safety of any person at risk.\nprimary legislation\nThis means—\nNorthern Ireland legislation (which has the meaning given in section 24(5) of the Interpretation Act 1978);\nan Act of Parliament;\nan Act of the Scottish Parliament;\na Measure or Act of Senedd Cymru.\nprotected international information\nInformation which—\n(a) was supplied to any person by, or by an agency of, the government of a country or territory outside the United Kingdom, and\n(b) if disclosed generally might, in the opinion of the Secretary of State, damage international relations.\nPSNI\nThe Police Service of Northern Ireland.\nrelevant authority\nThis means—\nthe Chief Constable of the PSNI;\nthe chief officer of a police force in Great Britain;\nthe Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland;\nthe Director General of the Independent Office for Police Conduct;\nthe Police Investigations and Review Commissioner;\nany Minister of the Crown (which has the same meaning as in the Ministers of the Crown Act 1975 — see section 8 of that Act);\nthe Security Service;\nthe Secret Intelligence Service;\nGCHQ;\nany other department of the United Kingdom government (including a non-ministerial department);\na Northern Ireland department;\nthe Scottish Ministers;\nany of His Majesty’s forces.\nrequest for a review\nA request for a review under section 9 or 10.\nreserved matter\nThis has the meaning given by section 4(1) ofthe Northern Ireland Act 1998.\nreserved provision\nProvision which (if contained in a Bill for an Act of the Northern Ireland Assembly) would result in the Bill requiring the consent of the Secretary of State under section 8(b) of the Northern Ireland Act 1998.\nreview function\nThe function of carrying out reviews conferred by section 2(5)(a) and (b).\nsensitive information\nThis means information of the following kinds.\nInformation which, if disclosed generally, would risk prejudicing, or would prejudice, the national security interests of the United Kingdom.\nInformation which has been supplied (whether to the person currently holding the information or to some other person) by—\n(a) the Security Service,\n(b) the Secret Intelligence Service,\n(c) GCHQ, or\n(d) any part of the following bodies which engages in intelligence activities—\n(i) His Majesty’s forces;\n(ii) the Ministry of Defence;\n(iii) the PSNI;\n(iv) a police force in Great Britain.\nserious physical or mental harm\nThis has the meaning given in section 1.\nserious Troubles-related offence\nThis has the meaning given in section 1.\nsubject to affirmative procedure\nThis has the meaning given in section 59(3).\nsubject to negative procedure\nThis has the meaning given in section 59(4).\nsubordinate legislation\nAn instrument made under primary legislation\ntransferred matter\nThis has the meaning given by section 4(1) of the Northern Ireland Act 1998.\ntransferred provision\nThis means provision which—\n(a) would be within the legislative competence of the Assembly if it were contained in an Act of the Northern Ireland Assembly, and\n(b) would deal with a transferred matter without being ancillary to other provision (whether in the Act or previously enacted) which deals with an excepted matter or reserved matter.\nHere—\n(i) “ancillary” has the meaning given insection 6(3) of the Northern Ireland Act 1998;\n(ii) a reference to provision dealingwith a matter is to be read in accordance withsection 98(2) of the Northern Ireland Act 1998.\nthe Troubles\nThis has the meaning given in section 1.\nTroubles-related offence\nThis has the meaning given in section 1.\n(2) A reference in this Act to the day on which a provision of this Act comes into force is, in a case where that provision comes into force at different times for different purposes, a reference to the day on which that provision comes into force for all purposes.",
  "extent": "E+W+S+N.I.",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "I",
      "label": "I1",
      "text": "S. 60 in force at 18.9.2023, see s. 63(1)(a)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/41/section/60",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T08:51:56.215171+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."
}