Subject matter and legislative competence of devolved legislatures
All of the content of this Act affects matters within the devolved (transferred) competence of the Northern Ireland Assembly. The Sewel Convention sets out that the UK Government will not normally legislate in an area of devolved competence without the agreement of the devolved legislatures. In the absence of the Executive and a sitting Assembly, and given the pressing need to ensure that public services can continue to be delivered within Northern Ireland, there is neither the time available nor the practical ability for the Assembly to provide a Legislative Consent Motion. The UK Government is clear, therefore, that the circumstances in which this Act will be introduced would come within the exception allowed by the Convention.