Overview

This bill amends the Statutory Instruments Act 1946, allowing both Houses of Parliament to amend draft statutory instruments before they are approved. Currently, Parliament can only approve or reject these instruments; this bill introduces the power to amend them.

Description

The bill inserts a new section (6A) into the Statutory Instruments Act 1946. This new section states that if an Act passed after this bill becomes law requires a draft statutory instrument to be approved by both Houses of Parliament, either House can propose amendments. Any such amendment would need agreement from both the House of Commons and the House of Lords before the instrument could be made law. This change impacts future Acts of Parliament and grants the Houses of Parliament greater control over secondary legislation. The bill comes into effect two months after it receives Royal Assent.

Government Spending

The bill is not expected to have a direct impact on government spending. The cost of parliamentary procedure related to amending statutory instruments may slightly increase, but this is likely to be minimal.

Groups Affected

Groups potentially affected include:

• Parliamentarians: They gain increased power to amend secondary legislation.
• Government departments: They will need to adapt to the possibility of amendments to their proposed statutory instruments.
• The public: The impact on the public will depend on the nature of the amendments made to future statutory instruments. It may result in changes to regulations impacting various aspects of daily life.

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