The Automated Vehicles (Marketing Restrictions) Regulations 2026

The Explanatory Note states that the Order specifies the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR) and the Independent Reporting Commission (IRC) as bodies to which the statutory equality duties in section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 do not apply.

The document frames this exclusion as a targeted measure focusing on specific intergovernmental or independent bodies established by international agreement or specific legislation.

Statutory instruments of this type are authorized under section 75(3)(d) of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, which allows the Secretary of State to designate specific public authorities as exempt from the requirement to have due regard to the need to promote equality of opportunity.

Legal commentators have noted that excluding public bodies from section 75 duties may reduce the level of transparency and external scrutiny regarding how these organizations impact marginalized groups in Northern Ireland.

Human rights organizations have raised concerns that the ICRIR, which deals with sensitive legacy issues from the Troubles, should be subject to the highest standards of equality monitoring rather than being exempt.

Critics may argue that the use of secondary legislation to limit the scope of statutory equality duties narrows the protections originally intended by the Good Friday Agreement framework.