The Rates (Coronavirus) (Electronic Communications) Order (Northern Ireland) 2020

Made: 22nd September 2020

Coming into operation: 14th October 2020

In accordance with section 1(3) of that Act it considers that the authorisation of the use of electronic communications by this Order for any purpose is such that the extent (if any) to which records of things done for that purpose will be available will be no less satisfactory in cases where use is made of electronic communications than in other cases.

Citation and commencement

1

This Order may be cited as the Rates (Coronavirus) (Electronic Communications) Order (Northern Ireland) 2020 and comes into operation on 14th October 2020.

Amendment of Article 62(1) of the Rates (Northern Ireland) Order 1977

2

In Article 62(1) of the Rates (Northern Ireland) Order 1977[^f00003], after “by ordinary post” insert “or, in the case of a document specified in sub-paragraph (b), by means of an electronic communication”.

3

In this Order, “electronic communication” has the meaning given in section 4(1) of the Electronic Communications Act (Northern Ireland) 2001.

Signed

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Finance on 22nd September 2020

Alan Brontë — A senior officer of the Department of Finance

Explanatory note

(This note is not part of the Order)

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This Order amends Article 62(1) of the Rates (Northern Ireland) Order 1977 (“the 1977 Order”) so as to allow for the electronic communication of a certificate under Article 49(2) of the 1977 Order of an alteration made in a valuation list and a notice under Article 49(3) of the 1977 Order of a decision that no alteration should be made in a valuation list.

Due to the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak in Northern Ireland, the Department wishes to implement an additional means of service for such documents so as to ease the operational impacts of the pandemic.

Article 1 provides for citation and commencement.

Article 2 makes an amendment so as to permit the electronic communication of a certificate made under Article 49(2), and a notice made under Article 49 (3), of the 1977 Order.

Article 3 defines the term “electronic communication” for the purposes of the Order.

Footnotes

[^f00001]: The Department of Finance and Personnel was renamed the Department of Finance by section 1(4) of, and Schedule 1 to, the Departments Act (Northern Ireland) 2016 (c.5 (N.I.))

[^f00002]: 2001 c. 9 (N.I.).

[^f00003]: S.I. 1977/2157 (N.I. 28), as amended by Schedules 2 and 3 to the Rates (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 (S.I. 2006/2954) (N.I. 18))