The Period Products (the Department for the Economy Specified Public Service Bodies) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2024

Draft Regulations laid before the Assembly under section 2(14) of the Period Products (Free Provision) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 for approval

Draft Statutory Rules of Northern Ireland

2024 No.

Period Products (free Provision)

The Period Products (the Department for the Economy Specified Public Service Bodies) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2024

Made

2024

Coming into operation

The Department for the Economy(1) makes the following Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred by section 2(1), (2)(c) and (d), (7)(a), (b) and (c), and (9) of the Period Products (Free Provision) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022(2) and after consultation in accordance with section 2(8) of that Act.

Citation and commencement

1.  These Regulations may be cited as the Period Products (the Department for the Economy Specified Public Service Bodies) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2024 and shall come into operation on xx xxx 2024.

Interpretation

2.—(1) In these Regulations—

“the Department” means the Department for the Economy;

“in use” is to be construed in accordance with regulation 4(b);

“learning” means the acquisition of knowledge or skills through study, experience, or being taught;

“non-educational purposes” means activities relating to administrative matters, student accommodation, canteen/eating facilities, leisure facilities and sport facilities;

“premises” is to be construed in accordance with regulation 4(a);

“staff” means employees, agency workers or volunteers in the premises of a specified public service body;

“students” means people enrolled with the relevant specified public service body;

“the Act” means the Period Products (Free Provision) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022; and

“visitors” means a person with legitimate reason for being in the premises of a specified public service body, such as attending meetings or organised events.

Specified public service bodies

3.—(1) The Department specifies the bodies listed at paragraph (2) as public service bodies to which the duty in section 2(3) of the Act applies.

(2) The specified public service bodies are—

(a) Further Education Colleges –

(i) Belfast Metropolitan College;

(ii) Northern Regional College;

(iii) North West Regional College;

(iv) South Eastern Regional College;

(v) Southern Regional College; and

(vi) South West College.

(b) Higher Education Institutions –

(i) Queen’s University, Belfast;

(ii) St Mary’s University College;

(iii) Stranmillis University College;

(iv) The Open University NI; and

(v) Ulster University.

(c) Invest Northern Ireland;

(d) the Consumer Council;

(e) the Construction Industry Training Board Northern Ireland;

(f) the Fair Employment Tribunal;

(g) the Industrial Tribunal;

(h) the Labour Relations Agency; and

(i) Northern Ireland Tourist Board.

Descriptions of persons and premises

4.  For the purposes of section 2(3) of the Act—

(a) the descriptions of premises listed in column 2 of the Table below are to be treated as being premises of the specified public service body listed at column 1; and

(b) the premises listed in column 2 of the Table below will be considered to be in use when they are open for student and/or staff use; and

(c) the descriptions of persons listed at column 3 of the Table below are to be treated as being in the premises of the specified public service body listed at column 1.

Table

	Column 1 - Specified Public Service Body	Column 2 - Descriptions of Premises	Column 3- Descriptions of persons in premises
(a) (i) – (vi)	Further Education Colleges	All buildings, both those used for learning and those used for non-educational purposes, which form part of the premises of the body.	(i) students; (ii) staff; and (iii) visitors
(b) (i)-(iv)	Higher Education Institutions	All buildings, both those used for learning and those used for non-educational purposes, which form part of the premises of the body.	(i) students; (ii) staff; and (iii) visitors.

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department for the Economy on xx xxx 2024.

Conor Murphy

Minister of the

Department for the Economy

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

This Statutory Rule is made under section 2(1) of the Period Products (Free Provision) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022. It specifies the public service bodies that are subject to the duty in section 2(3) of the Act (specified public service bodies). It specifies which premises are to be treated as premises of a specified public service body for the purposes of the Act, describes when these premises are considered to be in use for the purposes of the Act and provides for descriptions of persons to be treated as in those specified public service bodies’ premises for the purposes of the Act.

(1)

Formerly the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment: see section 1(1) and (11) of, and Schedule 1 to, the Departments Act (Northern Ireland) 2016 (2016 c. 5 (N.I.))

(2)

2022 c.25 (NI)