Primary and Secondary Legislation

Primary legislation is the general term used to describe the main laws passed by the legislative bodies of the UK. Examples include Acts of the UK Parliament, Acts of the Northern Ireland Assembly, Acts of the Scottish Parliament and Measures of the National Assembly for Wales. The Northern Ireland Assembly has the power to make its own primary legislation, or law, within the areas devolved to it under the Northern Ireland Act 1998.

Acts can confer powers to make secondary legislation: in Northern Ireland these are in the form of Statutory Rules ( Regulations, Rules, Order and Bye-laws). Often, Acts only contain a broad framework and secondary legislation is used to provide the necessary detail that would be considered too complex to include in the body of an Act. Secondary legisation can also be used to amend, update or enforce existing primary legislation.

Statutory Rules allow the Executive to make changes to a law without asking the Assembly to pass a completely new Act. Statutory rules are just as much a part of the law of the land as an Act of the Assembly.