c.

[] ELIZABETH II

Model Northern
Ireland Assembly

BILL 23

BILL
TO

Make provision for the holding of a referendum in Northern Ireland on whether

Northern Ireland should remain part of the European single market.

B E IT ENACTED by being passed by the Northern Ireland Assembly and

assented to by Her Majesty as follows:

The referendum
1.(1) A referendum is to be held on whether Northern Ireland should remain
part of the European single market.
(2) The Executive Office must, by regulations, appoint the day on which the
referendum is to be held.
(3) The day appointed under subsection (2) must be no later than 31 October
2017.
(4) The question that is to appear on the ballot papers is
Should Northern Ireland remain part of the European single market or
leave the European single market?
(5) The answers to that queston that are to appear on the ballot papers are
Remain a part of the European single market
Leave the European single market.

1
c. [] Single Market Referendum Act (Northern Ireland) 2017

Electorate
2.(1) Those entitled to vote in the referendum are
(a) the persons who, on the date of the referendum, would be entitled to
vote as electors at parliamentary elections or elections to the
Northern Ireland Assembly in any constituency in Northern Ireland,
(b) the persons who, on that date, are disqualified by reason of being
peers from voting as electors in parliamentary elections but would be
entitled to vote as electors at a local government election in any
district electoral area in Northern Ireland, and
(c) a person who, on the date of the referendum, falls within
subsection (2).
(2) A person falls within this subsection if the person is either
(a) a Commonwealth citizen, or
(b) a citizen of the Republic of Ireland, and
(c) has been permanently resident in Northern Ireland for the past year.

Results of the referendum

3.(1) The Executive Office must, by regulations, appoint the day on which
the results of the referendum are to be held.
(2) The day appointed under subsection (1) must be no more than 2 days after
the polling stations have closed.
(3) The results must be provided to the Executive Office immediately after the
counting has been completed and before the results have been announced.
(4) The results of the referendum may not be broadcast or published on any
television channel or radio station, or on the Internet, unless the Executive Office,
by regulations, has designated specifically the channel, station or website on
which the results may be broadcast.

Commencement and short title

4.(1) This Act comes into force on the day on which it is passed.
(2) This Act may be cited as the Single Market Referendum Act (Northern
Ireland) 2017.