7.2 Structure of legislation
Primary legislation is numbered chronologically within the year it is enacted. The numbering re-starts each year. For UK Public General Acts (UKPGA), the number is referred to as a ‘Chapter’. Acts are therefore usually cited by their type, year and chapter number; for example, ‘Asylum and Immigration Act 2004 c.19’.
Acts are usually divided into Parts and Sections; many will also have schedules. These enable navigation around the Act to find the information required. They also enable the citing (reference) of the section of the Act information is drawn from.
Activity 3: How legislation comes into force
Go to legislation.gov.uk [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] . Find the area on understanding legislation and familiarise yourself with the ‘How legislation comes into force and is amended’ section.
Discussion
The ‘Understanding legislation’ section of legislation.gov.uk explains how legislation comes into force and is amended. We will return to the structure of Acts in later sessions.