Statutory Instruments Act 1946

4 Statutory Instruments which are required to be laid before Parliament. U.K.

(1) Where by this Act or any Act passed after the commencement of this Act any statutory instrument is required to be laid before Parliament after being made, a copy of the instrument shall be laid before each House of Parliament and, subject as hereinafter provided, shall be so laid before the instrument comes into operation:

Provided that if it is essential that any such instrument should come into operation before copies thereof can be so laid as aforesaid, the instrument may be made so as to come into operation before it has been so laid; and where any statutory instrument comes into operation before it is laid before Parliament, notification shall forthwith be sent [F1 to the Speaker of the House of Commons and the Speaker of the House of Lords] drawing attention to the fact that copies of the instrument have yet to be laid before Parliament and explaining why such copies were not so laid before the instrument came into operation.

(2) Every copy of any such statutory instrument sold by [F2 or under the authority of] the King’s printer of Acts of Parliament shall bear on the face thereof:

(a) a statement showing the date on which the statutory instrument came or will come into operation; and

(b) either a statement showing the date on which copies thereof were laid before Parliament or a statement that such copies are to be laid before Parliament.

(3) Where any Act passed before the date of the commencement of this Act contains provisions requiring that any Order in Council or other document made in exercise of any power conferred by that or any other Act be laid before Parliament after being made, any statutory instrument made in exercise of that power shall by virtue of this Act be laid before Parliament and the foregoing provisions of this section shall apply thereto accordingly in substitution for any such provisions as aforesaid contained in the Act passed before the said date.

Textual Amendments

F1 Words in s. 4(1) substituted (24.3.2005) by Constitutional Reform Act 2005 (c. 4), s. 18, Sch. 6 para. 4(2)

F2 Words in s. 4(2) inserted (retrospective to 26.3.1946) by 1996 c. 54, s. 1(1)(a)

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C1 S. 4 explained by Laying of Documents before Parliament (Interpretation) Act 1948 (c. 59). ss. 1(2), 2

S. 4 excluded (1.7.1999) by S.I. 1999/1096 art. 3(2); S.I. 1998/3178

C2 S. 4(1) applied (17.12.2010) by Terrorist Asset-Freezing etc. Act 2010 (c. 38), ss. 29(10), 55(1) (with s. 44)

C3 S. 4(1) applied (22.11.2018) by Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018 (c. 13), ss. 40(12), 64(2) (with ss. 52(3), 53, 58); S.I. 2018/1213, reg. 2(b)