The Northern Ireland Bill 2000 is only eight pages long - but its political ramifications go much further.

It provided for one simple change in administration: The suspension of the locally-elected power-sharing assembly.

The order to suspend the assembly was made by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland shortly before 6pm on Friday 11 February 2000.

That assembly had operated since the Northern Ireland Secretary relinquished legislative and executive authority over almost all matters apart from security on 2 December 1999.

The key provisions mean:

• The suspension of the assembly, its committees and any other ad-hoc arrangements to discuss political business.
• The transfer of executive authority for Northern Ireland affairs to the Secretary of state.
• The transfer of legislative power to Northern Ireland Office ministers and civil servants.

In practice this means that the comprehensive work conducted by the assembly's ministers is frozen.

Any legislation currently before the assembly is also frozen rather than scrapped.

The principle behind the Northern Ireland Secretary's order is that the assembly can immediately begin work again should the political climate improve.

The Bill also states that the functions of cross-border bodies such as the North-South Ministerial Council and the British-Irish Council will not be exercised during the period of the suspension

But, where arrangements agreed between the governments of the UK and Ireland require the work of a suspended cross-border body, that work will be transferred to relevant Northern Ireland Office ministers - meaning that the work of the cross-border bodies will remain in place.

Ending suspension

The Secretary of State can reconvene the assembly without further legislation but subject to a review of the Good Friday Agreement as set out by the Northern Ireland Secretary.

After this "Restoration Order" has been made, all the devolved bodies would be effectively taken out of suspension and those those who held ministerial or other positions before the suspension would return to office.

If the Secretary of State decides that he wishes to again suspend the assembly, he would be able to do so again with a further order, subject to parliamentary approval.