Where an Act describes or cites a portion of an enactment by referring to words, sections or other parts from or to which (or from and to which) the portion extends, the portion described or cited includes the words, sections or other parts referred to unless the contrary intention appears.

Where an Act refers to an enactment, the reference, unless the contrary intention appears, is a reference to that enactment as amended, and includes a reference thereto as extended or applied, by or under any other enactment, including any other provision of that Act.

F8Subject to subsection (2A), where an Act passed on or after F4IP completion day refers to any EU regulation, EU decision, EU tertiary legislation or provision of the EEA agreement, the reference, unless the contrary intention appears, is a reference to the EU regulation, EU decision, EU tertiary legislation or provision of the EEA agreement as it forms part of domestic law by virtue of section 3 of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 or section 1 of the Direct Payments to Farmers (Legislative Continuity) Act 2020.

Subsection (3) does not determine any question as to whether the reference is to be read as a reference to the EU regulation, EU decision, EU tertiary legislation or provision of the EEA agreement as modified by domestic law (and, accordingly, is without prejudice to subsection (2)).

Any expression in F1subsections (2A) to (4) which is defined in the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 has the same meaning in F7the subsection concerned as in that Act.

In this section, “treaty” includes any international agreement (and any protocol or annex to a treaty or international agreement).