24.These draft Regulations would change the days when the Union Flag must be flown from government buildings and courthouses in Northern Ireland, to reflect the change of monarch and the new Prince of Wales. Three annually recurring dates would be removed from the list: the birthday, accession and coronation days of the late Queen Elizabeth II. Dates added would be four related to King Charles III (His wedding, birthday, coronation and accession) plus the birthday of the Queen Consort. The entry for the birthday of the Prince of Wales will also change. These alterations would align the rules in Northern Ireland with those in the rest of the UK. As required under the Flags Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000,5 the Secretary of State referred the draft Regulations to the Northern Ireland Assembly, but as the Assembly is currently suspended it has not provided any views.
25.In fulfilment of a commitment in the Energy White Paper,6 SI 2023/284 enables certain types of gas from the UK Continental Shelf to be injected into the gas network in Great Britain. These types of gas are not currently permitted unless they have been subjected to costly treatment or processing. The Regulations permit certain changes to the gas specifications, assessed as safe by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), including the use of biomethane. HSE states that this will facilitate the increase of domestic supply and create less reliance on imported sources of gas, thus supporting energy independence.
26.The Regulations also update the definition of gas “network” to reflect modern practice and require the service for reporting gas leaks to be provided by duty holders approved by HSE. SI 2023/320 was unfortunately necessary to correct a typographical error in the previous instrument which rendered it ineffective.
5 Flags Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000 (SR 2000/347).
6 Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Energy White Paper, CP337 (December 2022), p 84: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/945899/201216_BEIS_EWP_Command_Paper_Accessible.pdf [accessed 21 March 2023].