Northern Ireland (Entry to Negotiations, etc ) Act 1996 (repealed) The elections. 1 1 Elections shall be held in Northern Ireland for the purpose of providing delegates from among whom participants in negotiations may be drawn. 2 Schedule 1 (which makes provision as to the holding of the elections and the provision of delegates) shall have effect. The negotiations. 2 1 The negotiations mentioned in section 1 are the negotiations referred to in Command Paper 3232 presented to Parliament on 16th April 1996. 2 As soon as practicable after the elections, the Secretary of State shall invite the nominating representative of each party for which delegates have been returned in accordance with Schedule 1 to nominate, from among those delegates, a team to participate in the negotiations. 3 The Secretary of State shall refrain from inviting nominations from the nominating representative of a party, and shall exclude delegates already nominated from entering into the negotiations, if and for as long as he considers that requirements set out in paragraphs 8 and 9 of Command Paper 3232 are not met in relation to the party. 4 The nominating representative of a party may from time to time substitute for any member of the team nominated for that party another delegate returned for that party in accordance with Schedule 1. The forum. 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Referendums. 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . “Nominating representative” of a party. 5 1 In this Act “ nominating representative ” in relation to a party means the person who at any time appears to the Secretary of State to be the leader of the party or otherwise the most appropriate person to act on behalf of the party for the purposes of this Act. 2 The Secretary of State shall cause to be published in the Belfast Gazette— a an initial list of the nominating representatives of the parties listed in Part II of Schedule 1; b notice of any change in the nominating representative of any of those parties. Allowances and Secretary of State’s expenses. 6 1 The Secretary of State may pay allowances to delegates returned in accordance with Schedule 1, whether by reference to days on which they attend the forum or participate in negotiations or otherwise. 2 Any expenses incurred by the Secretary of State in connection with the elections or otherwise by virtue of this Act shall be paid out of money provided by Parliament. Duration of sections 3 and 4. 7 1 Section 3 shall cease to have effect at the end of May 1997. 2 The Secretary of State may by order provide that section 3 shall— a continue to have effect, or b come into force again, until a time, not later than the end of May 1998, specified in the order. 3 The Secretary of State may by order provide that section 3 shall cease to have effect at a time specified in the order (being a time earlier than the time at which it would cease to have effect by virtue of subsection (1) or (2)). 4 If it appears to the Secretary of State that the negotiations mentioned in section 1 are concluded or suspended, he shall by order under subsection (3) provide for section 3 to cease to have effect. 5 Section 4 shall cease to have effect at the end of May 1999. 6 An order under this section shall be made by statutory instrument; but no order shall be made unless a draft has been laid before, and approved by resolution of, each House of Parliament. Short title. 8 This Act may be cited as the Northern Ireland (Entry to Negotiations, etc) Act 1996.