Overview of the Act
This Act delivers on the legislative commitments on identity and language set out in New Decade, New Approach (NDNA), the document which was the basis on which the five main parties in Northern Ireland agreed to form an Executive in January 2020.
	In line with NDNA, the Act provides for a balanced package of identity and language measures that were carefully negotiated by the parties. It:
Requires specified public authorities to have due regard to certain principles (referred to in the Act as the "national and cultural identity principles") when carrying out functions relating to Northern Ireland defined in the context of the characteristics of religious belief, political opinion and racial group;
Creates an Office of Identity and Cultural Expression which, amongst other things, promotes awareness of the national and cultural identity principles and monitors and encourages compliance by public authorities with the duty to have due regard to them;
Provides for the official recognition of the status of the Irish language in Northern Ireland;
Makes provision for the appointment of an Irish Language Commissioner;
Makes provision for the appointment of a Commissioner for the Ulster Scots and the Ulster British Tradition;
Requires the Northern Ireland Department of Education to encourage and facilitate the use and understanding of Ulster Scots in the education system;
Repeals the Administration of Justice (Language) Act (Ireland) 1737 (which requires all Court proceedings to be in English);
Confers powers on the Secretary of State to exercise, or direct the exercise of, the powers conferred on NI Ministers or departments and to direct the three newly created authorities in the Act; and
Makes provision for the establishment of the Castlereagh Foundation, either by the Office of Identity and Cultural Expression or the Secretary of State.