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Acts and measures by devolved parliaments and assemblies Scottish Parliament 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Senedd Cymru (Welsh Parliament) 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Northern Ireland Assembly 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Northern Ireland Assembly (1973) 1973–1974 Parliament of Northern Ireland 1921–1972 Orders in Council for Northern Ireland
Acts of parliaments of states preceding the United Kingdom Parliament of Great Britain 1707 1708 1709 1710–1714 1715–1719 1720–1724 1725–1729 1730–1734 1735–1739 1740–1744 1745–1749 1750–1754 1755–1759 1760–1764 1765 1766 1767 1768 1769 1770 1771 1772 1773 1774 1775 1776 1777 1778 1779 1780 1781 1782 1783 1784 1785 1786 1787 1788 1789 1790 1791 1792 1793 1794 1795 1796 1797 1798 1799 1800 Parliament of England Royal statutes, etc. issued before the development of Parliament 1225–1267 1275–1307 1308–1325 Temp. incert. 1327–1411 1413–1460 1461–1482 1483 1485–1503 1509–1535 1536 1539–1540 1541 1542 1543 1545 1546 1547 1548 1549 1551 1553 1554 1555 1557 1558–1601 1603–1623 1625 1627 1640 1642–1660 (Interregnum) 1660 1661 1662 1663 1664 1665 1666 1667 1670 1672 1675 1677 1678 1679 1680 1685 1688 1689 1690 1691 1692 1693 1694 1695 1696 1697 1698      1700 1701 1702 1703 1704 1705 1706 Parliament of Scotland Up to 1707 Parliament of Ireland Before 1701 1701–1800
Delegated legislation United Kingdom statutory instruments 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Statutory rules and orders United Kingdom 1894–1947 Northern Ireland 1922–1973 Regulatory reform orders Ministerial orders
Devolved delegated legislation Scottish statutory instruments 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Welsh statutory instruments 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 Statutory rules of Northern Ireland 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Church of England Measures Instruments
Retained EU law Decision Directive Regulation
Acts of Parliament relating to the European Union (formerly the European Communities) 1972–present

The statutory rules of Northern Ireland are the principal form in which delegated legislation is made in Northern Ireland.

Statutory rules are made under the Statutory Rules (Northern Ireland) Order 1979.^[1] They replaced statutory rules and orders made under the Rules Publication Act (Northern Ireland) 1925 and are comparable with statutory instruments in the rest of the United Kingdom.

Definition and making of statutory rules

A document is a statutory rule if it contains orders, rules, regulations or byelaws which have effect in Northern Ireland and were made after 31 December 1958 by Northern Ireland departments or certain other public bodies in exercise of a power of a legislative character conferred by:

• an Act of the Parliament of Northern Ireland,^[2]
• an Act of the Northern Ireland Assembly,
• an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.^[3]

After being made by the relevant public body, statutory rules are registered and numbered (sequentially under the year in which they are made) by the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister^[4] which then arranges for notice of the making of the rules to be published in the Belfast Gazette and for the rules to be printed by Her Majesty's Stationery Office.

Controls over statutory rules

Many parent Acts will require that new statutory rules are laid before the Northern Ireland Assembly and are either:

• subject to affirmative resolution - in other words, they cannot come into force until approved by the Assembly; or
• subject to negative resolution - meaning that they will become law after a period (usually 30 days when the Assembly is sitting) unless the Assembly passes a resolution to annul them.^[5]

Every statutory rule which is laid before the Assembly and which is subject to proceedings in the Assembly is referred to the appropriate committee of the Assembly for consideration. To assist the committees, the Northern Ireland Assembly has appointed an Examiner of Statutory Rules. The Committee or Examiner will highlight a rule to the Assembly if it:

• imposes a cost on the public finances,
• requires payments of fees to a public authority,
• is made under powers which prevent it from be challenged in the courts,
• attempts to have retrospective effect (i.e. to change the law from a date before the date on which it is made) when the parent legislation does not explicitly empower it to do so,
• makes an unexpected or unusual use of the powers conferred by the parent legislation, or it may be ultra vires (outside the powers granted by the parent legislation, and so unlawful),
• requires further explanation,
• has been published or laid before Assembly late, or
• is unclear or appears to contain mistakes.^[6]

As with all delegated legislation, because statutory instruments are made by a person exercising a power conferred by an Act of Parliament for a specified purpose, rather than by Parliament exercising its sovereign law-making powers, they can be struck down by the courts if it is concluded that they are ultra vires (literally, outside the powers conferred by the parent Act). This would be the case if the Government attempts to use delegated legislation for a purpose not envision by the parent Act, or if the legislation is an unreasonable use of the power conferred by the Act, or if pre-conditions imposed by the Act (for example, consultation with certain organisations) have not been satisfied.

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