Part 5General

26Enactment establishing assemblies immaterial

For the purposes of this Act it is immaterial whether any enactment confers power on the Secretary of State to establish elected assemblies for regions.

27Commencement

(1)

The preceding provisions of this Act come into force at the end of the period of two months beginning with the day on which it is passed.

(2)

Subsection (1) does not apply to—

(a)

Part 2;

(b)

Part 4.

28Regions

In this Act a region is a region (except London) specified in Schedule 1 to the Regional Development Agencies Act 1998 (c. 45).

29Orders and regulations

(1)

A power in this Act to make an order or regulations must be exercised by statutory instrument.

(2)

But a statutory instrument must not be made unless a draft of the order or regulations (as the case may be) has been laid before Parliament and approved by a resolution of each House.

(3)

An order or regulations—

(a)

may contain such consequential, incidental, supplementary or transitional provision or savings (including provision amending, repealing or revoking enactments) as the person making the order or regulations thinks appropriate;

(b)

may make different provision for different purposes.

(4)

If a draft of an instrument to which subsection (5) applies would apart from this section be treated for the purposes of the Standing Orders of either House of Parliament as a hybrid instrument it must proceed in that House as if it were not such an instrument.

(5)

This subsection applies to an instrument made under—

(a)

Part 1 of this Act;

(b)

section 17 of this Act;

(c)

section 129(1) of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (c. 41) to the extent that it is made for the purpose of a referendum held in pursuance of an order under section 1 of this Act.

30Expenditure

(1)

The following amounts are to be paid out of money provided by Parliament—

(a)

any expenditure of a Minister of the Crown in connection with a referendum held in pursuance of an order under Part 1;

(b)

any expenditure of the Secretary of State under sections 19, 24 and 25;

(c)

any expenditure of the Secretary of State in preparation for elected regional assemblies;

(d)

any expenditure of the Secretary of State in connection with the transfer of any function to such an assembly;

(e)

any increase attributable to this Act in the sums so payable under any other enactment.

(2)

There are to be charged on and paid out of the Consolidated Fund any sums required to meet the expenditure of the Electoral Commission under section 10.

31Short title

This Act may be cited as the Regional Assemblies (Preparations) Act 2003.