Policy background
There has been no functioning Northern Ireland Executive since 9 January 2017, when the then deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland resigned, which also resulted in the First Minister ceasing to hold office. All other Northern Ireland Ministers ceased to hold office when an extraordinary Assembly election was held on 2 March 2017. The period for the appointment of Ministers to form an Executive after that election was extended to 29 June 2017 by the Northern Ireland (Ministerial Appointments and Regional Rates) Act 2017 ("MARRA"), but no Ministers were appointed.
	Since then, Parliament has intervened when necessary to ensure the continuity of public services in Northern Ireland. Examples include providing authority for expenditure for Northern Ireland departments and other bodies through the Budget Acts for 2017-18 and 2018-19, enabling the continued operation of the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme and collection of regional rates, and empowering the Secretary of State to make changes to the pay and allowances for Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly.1
	The principal aim and function of this Act is to facilitate a period where the Executive can be formed and talks can take place. This Act is part of a package of measures aimed at restoring the devolved power-sharing Executive and Assembly and ensuring the continued delivery of public services in Northern Ireland. Those measures provided for in the Act are:
Executive formation: provides a limited and prescribed period where Executive Ministers can be appointed and a Government can be formed at any time. During this period the Secretary of State has no legal duty to propose a date for an Assembly election. The Secretary of State will, however, have a discretionary power to call an election if she judges that it is in the public interest to do so.
Departmental decision-making: provisions to give greater clarity and certainty to enable Northern Ireland departments to continue to take decisions in Northern Ireland in the public interest to ensure the continued delivery of public services; and
Public appointments: enable key public appointments to be made in the absence of Northern Ireland Ministers.