Guidance

Guide to making legislation

This guide covers the procedures to follow when preparing primary legislation and taking it through Parliament.

Documents

Guide to making legislation (PDF)

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Details

This guidance sets out what bill teams need to do at each stage of preparing primary legislation and taking it through Parliament, from bidding for a slot in the legislative programme to gaining Royal Assent.

This guide has been prepared by the Secretariat to the Parliamentary Business and Legislation Committee of Cabinet, with the advice of Parliamentary Counsel and the Offices of the Chief Whips, Leader of the House of Commons, Leader of the House of Lords and the Public Bill Offices of both Houses.

Updates to this page

Published 5 July 2013
Last updated 15 August 2022 + show all updates
  1. Replaced guidance with latest version.

  2. General update including referencing national security, data protection and removing references to the English Votes to English law procedure.

  3. Updated attached document

  4. Guidance document updated.

  5. Guidance document updated.

  6. July 2014 guidance document published.

  7. Updated version of the guidance.

  8. First published.

  9. Updated with April 2013 version

  10. New version added - April 2013.

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