Act of Parliament

An Act of Parliament or Act is law made by the parliament (see legislation).

Bills

An Act of Parliament normally starts as a proposed law known as a Bill. The Bill will then be introduced into the Parliament (House of Commons, House of Representatives, House of Lords or the Senate) for debate and possible approval and enactment.

Bills that contain provisions significantly relating to taxation or public expenditure are introduced into the House of Commons in the UK; in Canada and Ireland, this is the law.

In the United Kingdom, Law Commission bills and consolidation bills start in the House of Lords.

In some countries, such as Spain and Portugal, a Bill has different names depending on whether it comes from the government (e.g. "Project") or from the Parliament (e.g. "Proposition" or Private Member's Bill).

An Act may be introduced to parliament also by means of a private bill.

Related pages

• Constitution
• Constitutional economics

Other websites

• All Acts of Parliament (since 1988) and Statutory Instruments are available free on-line under Crown copyright terms from the Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI).
• Parliamentary Stages of a Government Bill (pdf) from the House of Commons Information Office.
• Acts of Parliament (since 1267) revised to date are available free on-line under Crown copyright terms from the Department of Constitution Affairs (SLD).