The Statutory Instruments Regulations 1947

Numbering, Printing and Sale

Numbering

3.  All statutory instruments received by the King's printer of Acts of Parliament under subsection (1) of Section 2 of the Principal Act shall be allocated to the series of the calendar year in which they are made and shall be numbered in that series consecutively as nearly as may be in the order in which they are received:

Provided that where any such instrument—

(a) will not take effect unless it is confirmed or approved by Parliament or the House of Commons, or

(b) is subject to special parliamentary procedure, or will become subject thereto in certain events,

the instrument may be allocated and numbered as if it had been made and received on the date on which the responsible authority notifies the King's printer that the instrument has become operative or will become operative: and

Provided also that any statutory instrument made before the commencement of the Principal Act shall be allocated to the series of the calendar year in which that Act commences(1).

Classification

4.—(1) For the purpose of these Regulations, statutory instruments shall be classified as local or general according to their subject matter.

(2) Unless there are special reasons to the contrary in any particular case, a statutory instrument which is in the nature of a local and personal or private Act shall be classified as local, and a statutory instrument which is in the nature of a Public General Act shall be classified as general.

(3) The responsible authority shall, on sending a statutory instrument to the King's printer of Acts of Parliament, certify it as local or general, as the case may be; and, unless the Reference Committee otherwise direct under these Regulations, the instrument shall be classified accordingly.

Exemption for local instruments and instruments otherwise regularly published

5.  The following statutory instruments shall, unless the Reference Committee in any particular case otherwise direct under these Regulations, be exempt from the requirements of subsection (1) of Section 2 of the Principal Act with respect to the printing and sale of copies, that is to say:—

(a) any local instrument, and

(b) any general instrument certified by the responsible authority to be of a class of documents which is or will be otherwise regularly printed as a series and made available to persons affected thereby:

Provided that the responsible authority may, on sending to the King's printer of Acts of Parliament any statutory instrument certified by that authority as local, request him to comply with the requirements aforesaid.

Exemption for temporary instruments

6.  If the responsible authority considers that the printing and sale of copies of a statutory instrument in accordance with the requirements of subsection (1) of Section 2 of the Principal Act is unnecessary having regard to the brevity of the period during which that instrument will remain in force and to any other steps taken or to be taken for bringing its substance to the notice of the public, he may, on sending it to the King's printer of Acts of Parliament, certify accordingly; and any instrument so certified shall, unless the Reference Committee otherwise direct under these Regulations, be exempt from the requirements aforesaid.

Exemption for certain schedules, etc

7.  If the responsible authority considers that the printing and sale in accordance with the requirements of subsection (1) of Section 2 of the Principal Act of any schedule or other document which is identified by or referred to in a statutory instrument and would, but for the provisions of this Regulation, be required to be included in the instrument as so printed and sold, is unnecessary or undesirable having regard to the nature or bulk of the document and to any other steps taken or to be taken for bringing its substance to the notice of the public, he may, on sending it to the King's printer of Acts of Parliament, certify accordingly; and any instrument so certified shall, unless the Reference Committee otherwise direct under these Regulations, be exempt from the requirements aforesaid so far as concerns the document specified in the certificate.

Exemption for confidential instruments

8.  If the responsible authority considers that the printing and sale of copies of a statutory instrument in accordance with the requirements of subsection (1) of Section 2 of the Principal Act would, if effected before the coming into operation of that instrument, be contrary to the public interest, he may, on sending it to the King's printer of Acts of Parliament, certify accordingly; and any instrument so certified shall, so long as it has not come into operation, be exempt from the requirements aforesaid:

Provided that if at any time after the instrument has been so certified and before the instrument has come into operation it appears to the said authority that the printing and sale of copies of the instrument as aforesaid would no longer be contrary to the public interest, he shall notify the King's printer of Acts of Parliament to that effect, and there upon the foregoing provisions of this Regulation shall cease to apply to that instrument.

(1)

The Statutory Instruments Act, 1946, commenced January 1st, 1948 (S.I. 1948 No. 3, p. 4001 above).