primary legislation

, secondary legislation

   Acts passed by the Westminster and Scottish Parliaments are primary legislation. Secondary legislation, sometimes known as delegated legislation or statutory instruments, modifies the provisions of the Act in a way allowed by the original legislation. Instruments give authority to ministers or other public bodies to make orders or regulations (for example, to vary the fees levied for a particular service) under the provision of the parent statute. At least a thousand are passed every year. Governments like the use of secondary legislation, for it enables changes to be made without having to pass new Bills through Parliament and allows flexibility in policy implementation. The parent act stipulates the level of parliamentary approval required for any Bill, the requirement varying from an affirmative resolution to no consent at all.