Statutory Instruments

Power delegated to Ministers is usually exercised by Statutory Instrument; the legislation itself may be called Regulations (e.g. the Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) Regulations 2001, or Orders (e.g. the York Sixth Form College (Dissolution) Order 1999) or Rules (e.g. the Prison Rules 1999), or sometimes something else.

A very common form of statutory instrument is the Commencement Order, which brings into force part or all of an Act of Parliament. For example, the Access to Justice Act 1999 has been the subject of eight Commencement Orders so far (up to the end of 2001) and is still not wholly in force.