19.—(1) Where any power under this Act to make regulations or an order is expressed to be exercisable for alternative purposes it may be exercised in relation to the same case for any or all of those purposes.
(2) Any such power includes power—
(a)to make such incidental, supplemental, consequential or transitional provision as appears to the authority making the regulations or order to be expedient; and
(b)to provide for a person to exercise a discretion in dealing with any matter.
(3) Any power to make regulations or an order for the purposes of any provision of this Act is without prejudice to any power to make regulations or an order for the purposes of any other provision.
(4) Regulations containing (whether alone or with other provisions) the first regulations under—
(a)section 2(3)(b), (4) or (6);
(b)section 3(4), (5), (6), (7) or (8);
(c)section 4(3);
(d)section 12; or
(e)section 15(1)(e), (f) or (j), (2), (3), (4) or (6),
shall be laid before the Assembly after being made and shall take effect on such date as may be specified in the regulations, but shall (without prejudice to the validity of anything done thereunder or to the making of new regulations) cease to have effect upon the expiration of a period of six months from that date unless at some time before the expiration of that period the regulations have been approved by a resolution of the Assembly.
(5) Regulations made under this Act, other than the regulations specified in subsection (4), shall be subject to negative resolution.
20. The statutory provisions mentioned in Schedule 3 are hereby repealed to the extent specified in the second column of that Schedule.
21.—(1) This Act may be cited as the State Pension Credit Act (Northern Ireland) 2002.
(2) This Act (except section 19 and this section) shall come into operation on such day or days as the Department may by order appoint.
(3) Any order under this section may make such transitional provision as appears to the Department to be necessary or expedient in connection with the provisions brought into operation by the order.