Following the collapse of the Northern Ireland Executive in January 2017, and subsequent Assembly elections in March 2017, Northern Ireland has not had an Executive and the Northern Ireland Assembly has not been fully functioning. The Northern Ireland (Executive Formation and Exercise of Functions) Bill is intended to enable the continued delivery of public services in Northern Ireland and provide certainty for civil servants in the interim. The Bill extends the time for making Ministerial appointments before an election has to be called. It is also intended to provide clarity for Northern Ireland Departments regarding the exercise of their functions and require the Secretary of State to provide guidance to them in the absence of Northern Ireland Ministers. The Bill was considered for all remaining stages on 24 October 2018 and is due to be considered in the House of Lords on 30 October 2018.