122.— (1) Where in accordance with a provision contained in any statute (whether passed before or after the commencement of this section)—

(a) an instrument in relation to which this section applies may not come into force or may not take effect within a period after the laying of the instrument before a House, being a period not expressed in sitting days,

(b) a proposed instrument in relation to which this section applies may not be made, issued, granted or given within a period after the laying of a draft of the instrument before a House, being a period not expressed in sitting days, or

(c) an instrument in relation to which this section applies or a draft of a proposed such instrument may be annulled, disallowed or disapproved, or rendered such as not to have any force or such that no further proceedings are to be taken thereon, in whole or in part by or consequent upon action taken by a House within a period after the laying of the instrument or draft before the House, being a period not expressed in sitting days,

then, in any case in which the laying before the House is effected after the commencement of this section, the period shall, if apart from this subsection it would expire earlier, be deemed not to have expired before the expiration of the relevant weeks.

(2) In this section—

“instrument in relation to which this section applies” means—

(a) any order, regulation, rule, scheme, bye-law, warrant, licence, permit, certificate, direction or other like document, or

(b) any statute for the government of a university or constituent college thereof,

with respect to which the power or authority under which it may be made, issued, granted or given in, conferred by or under statute;

“relevant weeks” means the following weeks:

(a) either—

(i) in case, in the week in which the laying before the House is effected, the House sits on any day later than the day on which the laying before it is effected, the week in which the laying before the House is effected, or

(ii) in any other case, the first week, after the week in which the laying before the House is effected, in which the House sits;

(b) the first week, after the week specified in paragraph (a), in which the House sits;

(c) the first week, after the week specified in paragraph (b), in which the House sits;

(d) the first week, after the week specified in paragraph (c), in which the House sits.

(3) Notwithstanding section 5, the Houses of the Oireachtas (Laying of Documents) Act 1966 shall continue to apply to instruments laid before a House until the commencement of subsections (1) and (2).