Commentary on provisions of Act Section 4: Equal Rights for people of Northern Ireland
This section requires the Secretary of State to issue guidance to Northern Ireland departments on how to the exercise their functions in relation to "the incompatibility of the human rights of the people of Northern Ireland" with sections 58 and 59 of the Offences against the Person Act 1861 and Article 13(e) of the Matrimonial Causes (Northern Ireland) Order 1978. The Secretary of State must report guidance under this section on a quarterly basis to the House of Commons and set out her plans to address the impact of the absence of Northern Ireland Ministers on human rights obligations within three months of the day on which the Act is passed, that is, within three months of 1 November 2018.