THE new legislation was billed as part of Secretary of State Karen Bradley's clear plans to restore Stormont.
In effect, the bill will push the possible restoration of power-sharing well into next year - meaning that the north could be without an assembly for two-and-a-half years.
With Prime Minister Theresa May embroiled in Brexit talks ahead of the UK's exit on March 29, she is unlikely to be too focused on issues at Stormont.
And the north's parties will be pre-occupied by the same talks, followed by the run-up to local government elections in May.
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It now looks as though Stormont can only be restored by next summer.
The bill also aims to give civil servants greater clarity over what decisions they can and cannot take.
But the supplied guidance from Mrs Bradley, which tells civil servants they can take decisions which are in the public interest, is so vague that it leaves Stormont departments open to further legal challenges.
The Northern Ireland Office stressed that the legislation gives civil servants no new powers and only clarifies what they were already able to do.
But that does beg the question why Mrs Bradley felt she needed to introduce new legislation.
The only real clarity given is around some justice issues, including the appointment of a new deputy chief constable and Police Ombudsman.
The law is time-limited and will expire in mid-August at the latest. Unless the parties can form a government before then, fresh elections look almost certain.
