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1 Section 3 (power to amalgamate districts) is amended as follows. 2 That section becomes subsection (1) of section 3. 3 After that subsection insert— 2 The Lord Chief Justice must be consulted before any date is appointed and before any order is made under subsection (1). 3 The Lord Chief Justice may nominate any of the following to exercise his functions under subsection (2)— a the holder of one of the offices listed in Schedule 1 to the Justice (Northern Ireland) Act 2002; b a Lord Justice of Appeal (as defined in section 88 of that Act).