Act of Parliament
(statute) A document that sets out legal rules and has (normally) been passed by both Houses of Parliament in the form of a Bill and agreed to by the Crown (see royal assent). Under the Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949, however, passing of public Bills by the House of Lords can be dispensed with, except in the case of Bills to extend the duration of Parliament or to confirm provisional orders. Subject to these exceptions, the Lords can delay Bills passed by the House of Commons; it cannot block them completely. If the Commons pass a money Bill (for example, one giving effect to the Budget) and the Lords do not pass it unaltered within one month, it may be submitted direct for the royal assent. Any other Bill may receive the royal assent without being passed by the Lords if the Commons pass it in two consecutive sessions and at least one year elapses between its second reading in the first session and its third reading in the second (Jackson & others v AG [2005] UKHL 56).

Every modern Act of Parliament begins with a long title, which summarizes its aims, and ends with a short title, by which it may be cited in any other document. The short title includes the calendar year in which the Act receives the royal assent (e.g. the Competition Act 1998). An alternative method of citation is by the calendar year together with the Chapter number allotted to the Act on receiving the assent or, in the case of an Act earlier than 1963, by its regnal year or years and Chapter number. Regnal years are numbered from the date of a sovereign’s accession to the throne, and an Act is attributed to the year or years covering the session in which it receives the royal assent. In terms of commencement, unless otherwise stated, the legislation enters into force on the date of the royal assent. However, in almost all statutes the actual date that the statute, or any part of the statute, comes into force is determined by a statutory instrument ordered by the minister who sponsored the bill. This statutory authorization can be found in the “Commencement” section at the very end of the piece of legislation in question. Since 1999 Acts of Parliament have been published with explanatory notes.

Acts of Parliament are classified by the Queen’s Printer as public general Acts, local Acts, and personal Acts. Public general Acts include all Acts (except those confirming provisional orders) introduced into Parliament as public Bills. Local Acts comprise all Acts introduced as private Bills and confined in operation to a particular area, together with Acts confirming provisional orders. Personal Acts are Acts introduced as private Bills and applying to private individuals or estates. Acts are alternatively classified as public Acts or private Acts according to their status in courts of law. A public Act is judicially noticed (i.e. accepted by the courts as a matter of general knowledge). A private Act is not, and must be expressly pleaded by the person relying on it. All Acts since 1850 are public unless they specifically provide otherwise. See also enactment formula; preamble.

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