EXPLANATORY NOTE
(This note is not part of the Regulations)
These Regulations bring into force, on 25 January 2023, the remaining provisions of the Coronavirus (Recovery and Reform) (Scotland) Act 2022 (“the Act”). The provisions not already in force are sections 28 and 29.
Section 28 of the Act amends the Registration of Births, Deaths and Marriages (Scotland) Act 1965 (“the 1965 Act”) to ensure that the powers that Act confers on the Registrar General to make regulations can be exercised to make different provision for different cases or circumstances. Section 29 of the Act amends the Civil Partnership Act 2004 to enable civil partnership registers to take electronic (rather than paper-based) form if the Registrar General for Scotland so determines. This mirrors the position in relation to other registers (including a register of marriages) under section 32(1A) of the 1965 Act.
Most other provisions of the Act commenced on 1 and 24 September, 1 October and 1 November 2022 in accordance with section 59(1) to (3) of the Act. The Coronavirus (Recovery and Reform) (Scotland) Act 2022 (Commencement No. 1) Regulations 2022 (S.S.I. 2022/274 (C. 14)) commenced sections 16 and 17 of the Act on 1 October 2022.