In this Act “Act” includes a local and personal or private Act; and “subordinate legislation” means Orders in Council, orders, rules, regulations, schemes, warrants, byelaws and other instruments made or to be made under any Act F18or made or to be made on or after F19IP completion day under any F31assimilated direct legislation other than F31assimilated direct CAP legislation as so definedF14or made or to be made on or after exit day under F31assimilated direct CAP legislation as defined in section 2 of the Direct Payments to Farmers (Legislative Continuity) Act 2020.

This Act binds the Crown.

This Act applies to itself, to any Act passed after the commencement of this Act F1(subject F20, in the case of section F2120(2A) to (6), to the provision made F22in section 20(2A) or (3) and, in the case of section 20A, to the provision made in that section) and, to the extent specified in Part I of Schedule 2, to Acts passed before the commencement of this Act.

In any of the foregoing provisions of this Act a reference to an Act is a reference to an Act to which that provision applies; but this does not affect the generality of references to enactments or of the references in section 19(1) to other Acts.

This Act applies to Measures of the General Synod of the Church of England (and, so far as it relates to Acts passed before the commencement of this Act, to Measures of the Church Assembly passed after 28th May 1925) as it applies to Acts.

The provisions of this Act, except sections 1 to 3 and 4(b), apply, so far as applicable and unless the contrary intention appears, to subordinate legislation made after the commencement of this Act and, to the extent specified in Part II of Schedule 2, to subordinate legislation made before the commencement of this Act, as they apply to Acts.

In the application of this Act to Acts passed or subordinate legislation made after the commencement of this Act, all references to an enactment include an enactment comprised in subordinate legislation whenever made, and references to the passing or repeal of an enactment are to be construed accordingly.

Sections 9 and 19(1) also apply to deeds and other instruments and documents as they apply to Acts and subordinate legislation; and in the application of section 17(2)(a) to Acts passed or subordinate legislation made after the commencement of this Act, the reference to any other enactment includes any deed or other instrument or document.

Subsections (1) and (2) of this section do not apply to Orders in Council made under section 5 of the M1Statutory Instruments Act 1946, section 1(3) of the M2Northern Ireland (Temporary Provisions) Act 1972 or Schedule 1 to the M3Northern Ireland Act 1974.

References in this Act to the repeal of an enactment are to be read, in the case of an enactment which is F34assimilated direct legislation, as references to the revocation of the enactment.

For the application of this Act to F34assimilated direct legislation which is subordinate legislation, see section 23(1) and (2).

In this section—

• “corresponding time” means the time when the amending Act, subordinate legislation or devolution legislation was passed or (as the case may be) made, and

• “devolution legislation” means—

  1. a

     an Act of the Scottish Parliament,

  2. b

     a Measure or Act of the National Assembly for Wales,

  3. c

     Northern Ireland legislation (for the meaning of which see section 24(5)), or

  4. d

     an instrument made under anything falling within paragraph (a), (b) or (c).

This Act applies in relation to an Act of the Scottish Parliament and an instrument made under such an Act only to the extent provided in this section.

In the application of section 20 to an Act and to subordinate legislation, references to an enactment include an enactment comprised in, or in an instrument made under, an Act of the Scottish Parliament.

Nothing in subsection (2) or (3) limits the operation of sections 12 to 14A in relation to a power or duty to make an instrument to which Part 2 of the Legislation (Wales) Act 2019 applies, but section 11 does not apply in relation to such an instrument.

In the application of this Act to a Measure or Act of the National Assembly for Wales, references to the passing of an Act or an enactment are to be read as references to the enactment of the Measure or Act.

In this section, “devolved Welsh authority” F29, “Welsh zone” and (subject to subsection (7)) “Wales” have the same meanings as in the Government of Wales Act 2006 (see sections 157A and 158 of that Act).

In section 17(2)(b), the reference to subordinate legislation includes an instrument to which Part 2 of the Legislation (Wales) Act 2019 applies.

This Act extends to Northern Ireland so far as it applies to Acts or subordinate legislation which so extend.

In the application of this Act to Acts passed or subordinate legislation made after the commencement of this Act, all references to an enactment include an enactment comprised in Northern Ireland legislation whenever passed or made; and in relation to such legislation references to the passing or repeal of an enactment include the making or revocation of an Order in Council.

In the application of section 14 to Acts passed after the commencement of this Act which extend to Northern Ireland, “statutory instrument” includes statutory rule for the purposes of the M4F3Statutory Rules (Northern Ireland) Order 1979.

Section 20A applies to Northern Ireland legislation as it applies to Acts.

The following definitions contained in Schedule 1, namely those of—

• F5...

• The Communities F23...;

• The Corporation Tax Acts;

• F24E.C.S.C. Treaty;

• E.E.C. Treaty;

• F6EEA agreement and EEA state;

• F25Entry date;

• The EU or the European Union;

• EU institution;

• EU instrument;

• Euratom, Economic Community and Coal and Steel Community;

• Euratom Treaty;

• European Court;

• The Income Tax Acts;

• F26Member (in the expression “member State”);

• The Tax Acts F27;

• The Treaties or the EU Treaties,

apply, unless the contrary intention appears, to Northern Ireland legislation as they apply to Acts.

The enactments described in Schedule 3 are repealed to the extent specified in the third column of that Schedule.

Without prejudice to section 17(2)(a), a reference to the M8Interpretation Act 1889, to any provision of that Act or to any other enactment repealed by this Act, whether occurring in another Act, in subordinate legislation, in Northern Ireland legislation or in any deed or other instrument or document, shall be construed as referring to this Act, or to the corresponding provision of this Act, as it applies to Acts passed at the time of the reference.

The provisions of this Act relating to Acts passed after any particular time do not affect the construction of Acts passed before that time, though continued or amended by Acts passed thereafter.