Long title | An Act to provide for the better Government of Ireland. |
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Citation | 4 & 5 Geo. 5 c. 90 |
Territorial extent | Ireland |
Dates | |
Royal assent | 18 September 1914 |
Commencement | Postponed by Suspensory Act 1914 |
Repealed | 23 December 1920 |
Other legislation | |
Repealed by | Government of Ireland Act 1920 |
Relates to | |
Status: Repealed
|
Name and origin | |
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Official name of legislation | Government of Ireland Act, 1914 |
Location | United Kingdom |
Year | 1914 |
Government introduced | Asquith (Liberal) |
Parliamentary passage | |
House of Commons passed? | Yes |
House of Lords Passed? | No; passed under Parliament Act 1911 |
Royal Assent? | Yes |
Defeated | |
Which House | House of Lords 3 times (over-ruled) |
Which stage | - |
Final vote | - |
Date | 1912, 1913, 1914 (over-ruled) |
Details of legislation | |
Legislature type | bicameral |
Unicameral subdivision | none |
Name(s) |
upper: House of Lords; lower: House of Commons |
Size(s) | House of Lords: 40 House of Commons: 164 members |
MPs in Westminster | 42 MPs |
Executive head | Lord Lieutenant |
Executive body | Executive Committee of the Privy Council of Ireland |
Prime Minister in text | none |
Responsible executive | no |
Enactment | |
Act implemented | not implemented |
Succeeded by | Government of Ireland Act 1920 |
The Government of Ireland Act 1914 (4 & 5 Geo. 5 c. 90), also known as the Home Rule Act, and before enactment as the Third Home Rule Bill, was an Act passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom intended to provide home rule (self-government within the United Kingdom) for Ireland. It was the third such bill introduced by a Liberal government in a 28-year period in response to the Irish Home Rule movement.
The Act was the first law ever passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom that sought to establish a devolved government in any part of the UK. However, the implementation of both it and the equally controversial Welsh Church Act 1914 was formally postponed for a minimum of twelve months with the outbreak of the First World War. The continuation of the war beyond 1915 and subsequent developments in Ireland led to further postponements, meaning that the Act never took effect; it was finally superseded by a fourth home rule bill, enacted as the Government of Ireland Act 1920, which partitioned Ireland, creating Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland, both intended to have Home Rule.
In 1909, a constitutional crisis arose when the House of Lords rejected David Lloyd George's Finance Bill. Two general elections took place in January and December 1910, both of which left the Liberals and Conservatives equally matched, with John Redmond's Irish Parliamentary Party holding the balance of power in the House of Commons. The Irish Party, which had campaigned for home rule for Ireland since the 1870s, pledged to support the Liberals in return for the introduction of a home rule bill. The Parliament Act 1911 replaced the unlimited veto of the Lords with one lasting only two years, ensuring that a bill passed by the Commons could not be blocked for more than two years.