Robinson v Secretary of State for Northern Ireland [2002] UKHL 32

Court: House of Lords

Facts: Sections 16(1) and 16(8) of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 required the election of a First Minister and Deputy First Minister (FM and DFM) within 6 weeks of the first meeting of the Northern Ireland Assembly. The Assembly failed to elect the FM and DFM within this period, leading the appellant to claim the Assembly should be dissolved under section 32(3).

Issue: Should the Northern Ireland Assembly be dissolved after failing to elect an FM and DFM within 6 weeks?

Held: The appeal was dismissed. While the 6-week deadline was significant, the court ruled that Parliament did not intend for the Assembly to be automatically dissolved if the deadline was not met.

Key Judicial Statement: Lord Bingham emphasised that constitutional statutes should be interpreted generously and purposively, rather than literally, to accommodate the objectives they aim to achieve.

💡Leveluplaw: Constitutional provisions should be interpreted flexibly and purposively to ensure their objectives are fulfilled, especially in politically sensitive contexts.