The national effort to tackle the Coronavirus health emergency led to UK Ministers being granted some of the broadest legislative powers ever seen in peacetime. This Dashboard highlights key facts and figures about the Statutory Instruments (SIs) laid before Parliament from January 2020 to March 2022 using powers in the Coronavirus Act 2020 and other Acts.

Updated for the final time: 09:00, 4 March 2022

Table of contents

  1. How many Coronavirus-related Statutory Instruments has the government laid before the UK Parliament?
  2. What powers are being used by Ministers to lay the Coronavirus-related Statutory Intruments?
  3. Which parliamentary scrutiny procedures apply to the Coronavirus-related Statutory Instruments?
  4. Are the Coronavirus-related Statutory Instruments complying with the convention about parliamentary scrutiny time?
  5. Which government departments are laying the most Coronavirus-related Statutory Instruments?
  6. How are the Coronavirus-related Statutory Instruments showing the pressures of the crisis?
  7. The list of Coronavirus-related Statutory Instruments laid before the UK Parliament

For the data used on this Dashboard, we only counted Coronavirus-related Statutory Instruments which were laid before Parliament (so excluding those which were not laid, and those laid only before the devolved legislatures). The data covers the period from the start of 2020 to 3 March 2022. We counted as a Coronavirus-related Statutory Instrument any Statutory Instrument which had among its purposes the addressing of Coronavirus-related issues. If this was not self-evident from an SI’s title, the information was included in its Explanatory Memorandum. The full list of the SIs that we counted in order to generate the data on this Dashboard is at the bottom of the Dashboard.

How many Coronavirus-related Statutory Instruments has the government laid before the UK Parliament?

How many Coronavirus-related Statutory Instruments has the government laid before the UK Parliament?

The government laid 582 Coronavirus-related Statutory Instruments (SIs) before the UK Parliament between the start of 2020 and 3 March 2022.

The first two Coronavirus-related SIs were laid on 28 January and 10 February 2020, respectively. The rest were laid from 6 March 2020, at an average rate between then and 3 March 2022 of six per complete week. Of the 104 complete weeks in this period, there were four in which no Coronavirus-related SI was laid.

Between the start of the week commencing 27 January 2020 (when the first Coronavirus-related SI was laid) and 3 March 2022, the government laid a total of 1,957 SIs covering all subjects.

Coronavirus-related SIs thus account for 30% of all the SIs laid before Parliament in this period.

Number of Coronavirus-related Statutory Instruments laid before Parliament as a share of the total, by week

Source: Hansard Society Statutory Instrument Tracker data

Cite as: Hansard Society Coronavirus Statutory Instruments Dashboard

What powers are being used by Ministers to make and lay the Coronavirus-related Statutory Instruments?

What powers are being used by Ministers to make and lay the Coronavirus-related Statutory Instruments?

Coronavirus-related Statutory Instruments were made and laid under 140 Acts of Parliament, seven Orders, two sets of Regulations, 10 EU Regulations (which are now retained EU law in the UK) and one Church Measure.

Only 27 of the Coronavirus-related SIs were laid under the Coronavirus Act 2020. Eighteen were laid under the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020.

The oldest powers used to make Coronavirus-related SIs are in the Saint Helena Act 1833 and British Settlements Act 1887. This was for the highly specific case of the Overseas Territories (Constitutional Modifications) Order 2020, which was made also using powers in the British Settlements Act 1945. In the Order, the Queen in Council amended the constitutions of the Falkland Islands and of St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha to enable the legislative bodies of the Falkland Islands and St Helena to meet virtually.

For Coronavirus-related SIs laid before Parliament which extend only within the UK, the oldest powers used were in the Colonial Probates Act 1892. The next-oldest powers used were in the Registered Designs Act 1949 and Marriage Act 1949. Powers in the Prison Act 1952 were also used (for five of the SIs), as well as powers in eight Acts dating from the 1970s.

Powers in the European Communities Act 1972 were used for 11 of the Coronavirus-related SIs.

In October 2020, the first SI was laid which was primarily a ‘Brexit’ SI and laid under the EU (Withdrawal) Act 2018 but which also made Coronavirus-related provisions. In total, 12 Coronavirus-related SIs were laid under the EU (Withdrawal) Act 2018.

The complete list of Acts of Parliament that were used to lay Coronavirus-related SIs is:

19th century

Saint Helena Act 1833; British Settlements Act 1887; Colonial Probates Act 1892

1900-1969

British Settlements Act 1945; Registered Designs Act 1949; Marriage Act 1949; Prison Act 1952

1970-1979

Misuse of Drugs Act 1971; European Communities Act 1972; Local Government Act 1972; Government Trading Funds Act 1973; Consumer Credit Act 1974; Patents Act 1977; Vaccine Damage Payments Act 1979; Hydrocarbon Oil Duties Act 1979

1980-1984

Magistrates’ Courts Act 1980; Senior Courts Act 1981; Industrial Training Act 1982; Representation of the People Act 1983; Mental Health Act 1983; Medical Act 1983; Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984; Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984

1985-1989

Prosecution of Offences Act 1985; Housing Act 1985; Insolvency Act 1986; Road Traffic Act 1988; Local Government Finance Act 1988; Housing Act 1988; Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988; Football Spectators Act 1989; Children Act 1989; Electricity Act 1989

1990-1994

Town and Country Planning Act 1990; Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990; Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990; New Roads and Street Works Act 1991; Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992; Social Security Administration Act 1992; Social Security Administration (Northern Ireland) Act 1992; Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992; Social Security Contributions and Benefits (Northern Ireland) Act 1992; Osteopaths Act 1993; Pension Schemes Act 1993; Value Added Tax Act 1994; Trade Marks Act 1994; Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994

1995-1999

Jobseekers Act 1995; Merchant Shipping Act 1995; Goods Vehicles (Licensing of Operators) Act 1995; Housing Act 1996; Employment Tribunals Act 1996; Education Act 1996; Employment Rights Act 1996; Civil Procedure Act 1997; Police Act 1997; Competition Act 1998; Social Security Act 1998; School Standards and Framework Act 1998; Teaching and Higher Education Act 1998; Scotland Act 1998; Greater London Authority Act 1999; Pollution Prevention and Control Act 1999; Employment Relations Act 1999; Immigration and Asylum Act 1999

2000-2004

Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000; Financial Services and Markets Act 2000; Care Standards Act 2000; Electronic Communications Act 2000; Limited Liability Partnerships Act 2000; Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000; Local Government Act 2000; Representation of the People Act 2000; Transport Act 2000; Finance Act 2000; Land Registration Act 2002; State Pension Credit Act 2002; State Pension Credit Act (Northern Ireland) 2002; Adoption and Children Act 2002; Education Act 2002; Tax Credits Act 2002; Enterprise Act 2002; Courts Act 2003; Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003; Licensing Act 2003; Communications Act 2003; Finance Act 2003; London Local Authorities and Transport for London Act 2003; Traffic Management Act 2004; Children Act 2004; Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004; Civil Partnership Act 2004

2005-2009

Income Tax (Trading and Other Income) Act 2005; Education Act 2005; National Health Service Act 2006; Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006; Childcare Act 2006; Education and Inspections Act 2006; Companies Act 2006; Legislative and Regulatory Reform Act 2006; Offender Management Act 2007; Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007; Welfare Reform Act 2007; Welfare Reform Act (Northern Ireland) 2007; Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007; Energy Act 2008; Climate Change Act 2008; Education and Skills Act 2008; Planning Act 2008; Finance Act 2008; Health and Social Care Act 2008; Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Act 2008; Health Act 2009; Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009; Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009

2010-2014

Energy Act 2010; Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011; Charities Act 2011; Welfare Reform Act 2012; Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012; Energy Act 2013; Crime and Courts Act 2013; Public Service Pensions Act 2013; Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014; Children and Families Act 2014; Childcare Payments Act 2014; Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014

2015-2019

Childcare Act 2016; Savings (Government Contributions) Act 2017; Higher Education and Research Act 2017; European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018; Taxation (Cross-border Trade) Act 2018; Finance Act 2019

2020-

Coronavirus Act 2020; Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020; Business and Planning Act 2020; Finance Act 2020; Agriculture Act 2020; Finance Act 2021; Medicines and Medical Devices Act 2021

The complete list of Orders, Regulations and Church Measures that were used to lay Coronavirus-related SIs is:

Orders:

  • The Jobseekers (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 (made under the Northern Ireland Act 1974 as modified by the Jobseekers Act 1995)
  • The Nursing and Midwifery Order 2001 (made under the Health Act 1999)
  • The Health Professions Order 2001 (made under the Health Act 1999)
  • The Pharmacy Order 2010 (made under the Health Act 1999)
  • The Welfare Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 2015 (made under the Northern Ireland (Welfare Reform) Act 2015)
  • The Import of, and Trade in, Animals and Animal Products (Miscellaneous Amendments) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020
  • The Official Controls (Animals, Feed and Food, Plant Health etc.) (Amendment) (EU Exit) (No. 2) Regulations 2020

Regulations:

  • The Radio Equipment Regulations 2017
  • Trade in Animals and Related Products Regulations 2011

EU Regulations that have been used are:

  • Regulation (EC) No 561/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 March 2006 on the harmonisation of certain social legislation relating to road transport (which is retained EU law in the UK under the EU (Withdrawal) Act 2018)
  • Council Regulation (EC) No 834/2007 of 28 June 2007 on organic production and labelling of organic products (which is retained EU law in the UK under the EU (Withdrawal) Act 2018)
  • Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 on the financing, management and monitoring of the common agricultural policy (which is retained EU law in the UK under the Direct Payments to Farmers (Legislative Continuity) Act 2020 and regulations made under it)
  • Regulation (EU) 2017/625 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 March 2017 on official controls and other official activities performed to ensure the application of food and feed law, rules on animal health and welfare, plant health and plant protection products (which is retained EU law in the UK under the EU (Withdrawal) Act 2018)
  • Council Regulation (EEC) No 95/93 of 18 January 1993 on common rules for the allocation of slots at United Kingdom airports (which is retained EU law in the UK under the EU (Withdrawal) Act 2018)
  • Regulation (EU) 2018/1139 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 July 2018 on common rules in the field of civil aviation (which is retained EU law in the UK under the EU (Withdrawal) Act 2018)
  • Council Regulation (EU) No 1370/2013 of 16 December 2013 determining measures on fixing certain aids and refunds related to the common organisation of the markets in agricultural products
  • Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 establishing a common organisation of the markets in agricultural products (‘the CMO Regulation’)
  • Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 2016/1240 of 18 May 2016 laying down rules for the application of the CMO Regulation with regard to public intervention and aid for private storage
  • Regulation (EC) No 550/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 March 2004 on the provision of air navigation services in the single European sky

The Church Measure that has been used is the Synodical Government Measure 1969.

Which parliamentary scrutiny procedures apply to the Coronavirus-related Statutory Instruments?

Which parliamentary scrutiny procedures apply to the Coronavirus-related Statutory Instruments?

Source: Hansard Society Statutory Instrument Tracker data

Cite as: Hansard Society Coronavirus Statutory Instruments Dashboard

Of the 582 Coronavirus-related SIs laid before Parliament by 3 March 2022:

  • 417 were subject to the ‘made negative’ procedure. (This means that the SI is laid before Parliament after it has been made – signed – into law by the Minister, but may be annulled if a motion to do so – known as a ‘prayer’ – is passed by either House within 40 days of the SI being laid before Parliament. Parliamentary recesses of over four days do not count towards the 40 days.)
  • 118 were subject to the ‘made affirmative’ procedure. (This means that the SI is laid before Parliament after it has been made – signed – into law by the Minister, but cannot remain law unless it is approved by the House of Commons and in most cases also the House of Lords within a statutory period – usually 28 or 40 days.)
  • 44 were subject to the ‘draft affirmative’ procedure. (This means that the SI is laid before Parliament as a draft, and cannot be made into law by the Minister unless and until it has been approved by the House of Commons and in most cases also the House of Lords.)
  • 2 were ‘laid only’. (This means that the SI is laid before Parliament but no further procedure is necessary or possible.)
  • 1 was subject to a ‘strengthened scrutiny’ procedure. (These are procedures involving a higher level of parliamentary scrutiny than the ‘affirmative’ procedure.)

Of the 118 Coronavirus-related SIs which were subject to the ‘made affirmative’ procedure, 100 were made using the urgent power conferred on Ministers in the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984. Of the remaining 18 ‘made affirmative’ SIs, one was made using powers in the Local Government Finance Act 1988, one using powers in the Enterprise Act 2002, one using powers in the Taxation (Cross-border Trade) Act 2018 and two using powers in the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018. Thirteen were laid under the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020, combined in one case with the Insolvency Act 1986, in three cases with the Insolvency Act 1986 and the Companies Act 2006, and in two cases with the Charities Act 2011.

Are the Coronavirus-related Statutory Instruments complying with the convention about parliamentary scrutiny time?

A Statutory Instrument may come into effect as soon as it has been made. However, there is a convention – ‘the 21-day rule’ – by which, wherever possible, a Statutory Instrument which is subject to the negative procedure is laid before Parliament at least 21 calendar days before it comes into effect.

Of the 417 Coronavirus-related Statutory Instruments laid before the UK Parliament by 3 March 2022 which were subject to the negative procedure, 228 breached the 21-day rule.

If an SI comes into effect before it is even laid before Parliament, a requirement is triggered under Section 4 of the Statutory Instruments Act 1946 that the government formally notify the Speakers of the two Houses of this fact and explain the need for such urgency. (This applies to both ‘made negative’ and ‘made affirmative’ SIs.) Such notifications are recorded in the official record of parliamentary proceedings.

As of 3 March 2022, 66 Coronavirus-related SIs had come into effect before they were laid before Parliament, and had had notifications recorded accordingly (in the House of Commons’ Votes and Proceedings on, in 2020, 21, 22 and 29 April, 4 and 13 May, 2, 15 and 29 June, 21 July, 1, 2, 3, 8, 15, 17, 21, 23, 24, 28 and 30 September, 2, 9 and 16 November, and 30 December; in 2021, on 12, 18 and 25 January, 1 February, 8 March, 12 April, 12 and 17 May, 19 July, 18 October, 1 and 29 November, and 7, 8 and 15 December; and, in 2022, on 5 January).

How many negative Coronavirus-related Statutory Instruments breach the 21-day rule?

Source: Hansard Society Statutory Instrument Tracker data

Cite as: Hansard Society Coronavirus Statutory Instruments Dashboard

Which government departments are laying the most Coronavirus-related Statutory Instruments?

Which government departments are laying the most Coronavirus-related Statutory Instruments?

Coronavirus-related SIs were laid before Parliament by 15 government departments (plus, in the case of a single measure coming from the Church of England, the Clerk of the House of Commons).

From the start of the crisis to 23 July 2020, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) had laid more Coronavirus-related SIs than any other department, in terms of running totals. (In the early phase of the pandemic, DWP’s tally was almost twice as high as as any other department’s.) However, DWP’s ‘lead’ over other departments was gradually eroded as immediate measures related to welfare and employment benefits became a smaller share of the total actions being taken through SIs:

  • The growing body of national and local ‘lockdown’-related measures, in SIs laid by the Department of Health and Social Care, saw that department overtake the DWP’s tally on 23 July 2020.
  • The rising number of SIs made to address the implications of the pandemic for business saw the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) match and overtake the DWP’s tally for the first time in late September 2020.
  • The increasing number of SIs relating to international travel arrivals saw the Department for Transport equal and then overhaul the DWP’s total for the first time in October 2020.
  • The expanding range of SIs being made to address the full implications of the pandemic, and to extend the life of time-limited measures taken earlier in the crisis, saw the DWP’s tally also matched and then overtaken by that of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (HCLG) (now the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities), in December 2020; first matched by those of the Treasury in February 2021 and Department for Education in July 2021, after which those departments established small but consistent ‘leads’; and first matched by that of the Ministry of Justice in July 2021, although the DWP then pulled slightly back ‘ahead’.

Number of Coronavirus-related Statutory Instruments laid before Parliament, by government department

Source: Hansard Society Statutory Instrument Tracker data

Cite as: Hansard Society Coronavirus Statutory Instruments Dashboard

How are the Coronavirus-related Statutory Instruments showing the pressures of the crisis?

How are the Coronavirus-related Statutory Instruments showing the pressures of the crisis?

The Coronavirus-related Statutory Instruments showed the pressures of the crisis in two ways:

1. Rapid amendment, repeat amendment and revocation, as policy develops

Many Coronavirus-related Statutory Instruments were amended by further such SIs, sometimes very rapidly, in order to implement changes in policy as these were made over the course of the pandemic.

For example:

  • the Statutory Sick Pay (General) Regulations 1982 were amended twice within four days, first by the Statutory Sick Pay (General) (Coronavirus Amendment) Regulations 2020 laid on 12 March 2020, and then by the Statutory Sick Pay (General) (Coronavirus Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2020, laid on 16 March 2020;
  • on 2-3 September 2020, the ‘protected area’ covered by the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Blackburn with Darwen and Bradford) Regulations 2020 was amended twice in 12 hours;
  • the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Wearing of Face Coverings in a Relevant Place) (England) Regulations 2020 were amended by three different SIs made in two days on 22-23 September 2020.

By October 2020, new Coronavirus-related SIs were amending older ones in part simply to prolong the measures they contained, in reflection of changing expectations about the length of the pandemic. For example, the Public Health (Coronavirus) (Protection from Eviction) (England) (No. 2) (Amendment) Regulations 2021 extended the ban on evictions from 31 March to 31 May 2021, and were laid before Parliament (on 22 March) 31 days after the Regulations setting the earlier date had been laid, and just four days after those Regulations had been debated and approved by the House of Lords.

In some cases, this amending process generated a series of related SIs, each one making successive changes to the same instrument. The most straightforward example was the series of Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (England) Regulations, which repeatedly amended the list of countries from which arrivals into England were exempt from quarantine requirements, and later also added and then successively amended the list of ‘red-list countries’, arrivals from which had to enter ‘managed quarantine’. After being amended more than 50 times, the International Travel Regulations were finally revoked by the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel and Operator Liability) (England) Regulations 2021, laid on 14 May, which consolidated into a single Instrument the current versions of all SIs related to international travel arrivals into England during the pandemic. These new consolidated Regulations were themselves amended within three days, starting a new series of amending SIs. In response to the identification of the new Omicron variant of the virus in South Africa, the Regulations were amended three times in four days on 26-29 November 2021 and then twice more in two days on 5-6 December.

In a more radical version of the process, rather than being amended some Coronavirus-related SIs were revoked and replaced, when policy changed:

  • The first national ‘lockdown easing’ SI for England, the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (No. 2) (England) Regulations, laid on 3 July 2020, revoked the whole series of five sets of initial national ‘lockdown’ Regulations in England (the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) Regulations and the SIs amending them), which had been laid between 26 March and 12 June 2020. (The ‘lockdown easing’ SI was itself amended by multiple instruments, including five main sets of amendment Regulations, generating a new series.)
  • In October 2020, when policy in England switched to the use of three different ‘tiers’ of Coronavirus restrictions (with parts of the country being placed in and moved between them), earlier SIs which had implemented specific local restrictions in Leicester and various parts of northern England were revoked.
  • At the end of October 2020, when policy changed again to a second England-wide ‘lockdown’, the second national ‘lockdown’ SI (the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) (No. 4) Regulations 2020) revoked the three sets of initial ‘tier’ Regulations.
  • In late November 2020, when policy evolved again to replace the second national ‘lockdown’ with an amended ‘tier’ system, the new Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (All Tiers) (England) Regulations 2020, laid on 30 November, revoked the second national ‘lockdown’ SI.

The third national lockdown in England was implemented by amending, rather than revoking, the ‘All Tiers’ Regulations. They were amended by nine further SIs in total between December 2020 and March 2021, including to start a new easing process in early March. However, the main SI made to implement the ‘roadmap’ out of the national lockdown, the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Steps) (England) Regulations 2021, laid on 22 March 2021, finally revoked the ‘All Tiers’ Regulations and introduced a new ‘Steps’ framework. England was moved through successive ‘steps’ out of lockdown by further SIs amending these Regulations, and then completely out of lockdown by the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Steps etc.) (England) (Revocation and Amendment) Regulations 2021, laid on 15 July, which revoked all the ‘Steps’ Regulations. Further SIs laid in February and early March 2022 revoked earlier Instruments which had required self-isolation, the wearing of face coverings, the use of ‘vaccine passports’, and vaccination for workers in the NHS and care sector.

2. Making and addressing technical errors and omissions

Some Coronavirus-related SIs (which have not always been immediately withdrawn or revoked) had omissions, technical mistakes and drafting shortcomings. As a result, others of the Coronavirus-related SIs were made, at least in part, in order to correct these errors by amending the earlier instruments.

For example, both the main initial national ‘lockdown’ SI for England and the main initial ‘lockdown easing’ SI contained errors that were corrected by later SIs in their respective series. Similarly, the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Local COVID-19 Alert Level) (Medium, High and Very High) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2020, laid on 22 October, corrected errors in each of the three sets of initial ‘Tier’ Regulations; the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (All Tiers) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2021, laid on 19 January 2021, corrected errors in the initial ‘All Tiers’ Regulations, laid on 30 November 2020; and the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Steps and Local Authority Enforcement Powers) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2021, laid on 9 April 2021, corrected errors in the initial ‘Steps’ Regulations, laid on 22 March. On 19 July 2021, an SI had to be laid to correct a typographical error in the Regulations which had been laid only four days previously to relax the law around self-isolation.

Most notably:

  • the Tribunal Procedure (Amendment) Rules 2020, laid on 30 June 2020, in part amended a set of other other court-related Rules so as to insert a provision that was “mistakenly omitted (due to a drafting error) from the Tribunal Procedure (Coronavirus) Amendment Rules 2020”;
  • the Charitable Incorporated Organisations (Insolvency and Dissolution) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2020, laid on 13 August 2020, revoked and replaced the Charitable Incorporated Organisations (Insolvency and Dissolution) (Amendment) Regulations 2020, because “Due to an administrative error, the version of the first regulations made on 6 July was not the final draft of the instrument and contained drafting errors and omissions”;
  • the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (England) (Amendment) (No. 10) Regulations 2020, laid on 24 August 2020, revoked and replaced the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (England) (Amendment) (No. 9) Regulations 2020 before the latter had come into force; the earlier set of Regulations needed to be revoked “due to a clerical error in the physical document that was signed by the Secretary of State”;
  • the Assured Tenancies and Agricultural Occupancies (Forms) (England) (Amendment) and Suspension (Coronavirus) Regulations 2020, laid on 1 September 2020, made changes needed to prescribed tenancy-related forms which the Coronavirus Act 2020 (Residential Tenancies: Protection from Eviction) (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2020 had omitted to make;
  • the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies and Credit Unions (Arrangements, Reconstructions and Administration) (Amendment) (No. 2) Order 2020 had to be laid on 9 September 2020 because the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies and Credit Unions (Arrangements, Reconstructions and Administration) (Amendment) and Consequential Amendments Order 2020 had made two small legislative changes which were “errors”. The mistake also necessitated the laying of the Pension Protection Fund (Moratorium and Arrangements and Reconstructions for Companies in Financial Difficulty) (Amendment and Revocation) Regulations 2020 on 15 September 2020;
  • the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (North East of England) (Amendment) Regulations 2020, laid on 18 September 2020 after they came into force at 00.01 the same day, corrected typographical errors “caused by a system error” in the original North East of England Regulations, laid 17 hours earlier;
  • the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Local COVID-19 Alert Level) (High) (England) (Amendment) (No. 3) Regulations 2020 had to be made on 30 October 2020 in order to correct drafting errors in the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Local COVID-19 Alert Level) (High) (England) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2020, made earlier the same day;
  • the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 (Coronavirus) (Amendment of Schedule 10) (No. 2) Regulations 2021, laid and partly coming into force on 28 September 2021, revoked and replaced the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 (Coronavirus) (Amendment of Schedule 10) Regulations 2021 before they had been approved or come into force, in order to avoid a legislative gap that would have arisen owing to an incorrect coming-into-force date on the revoked SI;
  • the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel and Operator Liability) (England) (Amendment) (No. 17) (Amendment) Regulations 2021, laid on 1 November 2021, amended the No. 17 Regulations laid only three days earlier because those Regulations had omitted 12 countries from the list of those issuing recognised vaccination certification;
  • the Regulations introducing the ‘Covid pass’ (the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Entry to Venues and Events) (England) Regulations 2021) had to be amended on 14 December 2021 a day after being made, in order to “correct minor errors and an omission”;
  • the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Self-Isolation) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2022 had to be made and laid in January 2022 to replace the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Self-Isolation) (England) (Amendment) (No. 5) Regulations 2021 – a ‘made affirmative’ SI which, “due to a clerical oversight”, was not scheduled for parliamentary approval within its prescribed scrutiny period and so ceased to have effect.

In addition, some Coronavirus-related SIs or their Explanatory Memorandums contained minor mistakes (such as typographical errors) which were addressed through the issuing of correction slips. Other Explanatory Memorandums had to be withdrawn and replacements laid.

Errors in SIs and their supporting documentation are not confined to Coronavirus-related instruments. However, these instances nevertheless reflected the time and resource pressures under which government departments were operating during the pandemic.

In one especially notable but unusual case, the Department of Health and Social Care laid before Parliament a Coronavirus-related SI that did not need to be laid. In an exchange with the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments (JCSI), the Department acknowledged that the SI had been laid before Parliament in error.

The list of Coronavirus-related Statutory Instruments laid before the UK Parliament

The list of Coronavirus-related Statutory Instruments laid before the UK Parliament

By laid date, the list of Coronavirus-related Statutory Instruments laid before the UK Parliament and used to generate the data on this Dashboard is:

28 January 2020

10 February 2020

6 March 2020

12 March 2020

16 March 2020

20 March 2020

23 March 2020

26 March 2020

27 March 2020

30 March 2020

1 April 2020

2 April 2020

3 April 2020

6 April 2020

7 April 2020

8 April 2020

9 April 2020

15 April 2020

16 April 2020

17 April 2020

20 April 2020

21 April 2020

22 April 2020

23 April 2020

24 April 2020

27 April 2020

28 April 2020

29 April 2020

30 April 2020

1 May 2020

13 May 2020

14 May 2020

15 May 2020

18 May 2020

20 May 2020

21 May 2020

22 May 2020

27 May 2020

28 May 2020

1 June 2020

2 June 2020

3 June 2020

4 June 2020

9 June 2020

10 June 2020

12 June 2020

15 June 2020

17 June 2020

18 June 2020

19 June 2020

22 June 2020

24 June 2020

26 June 2020

29 June 2020

30 June 2020

1 July 2020

3 July 2020

6 July 2020

8 July 2020

9 July 2020

10 July 2020

14 July 2020

15 July 2020

17 July 2020

20 July 2020

21 July 2020

22 July 2020

23 July 2020

24 July 2020

27 July 2020

29 July 2020

30 July 2020

31 July 2020

3 August 2020

4 August 2020

5 August 2020

6 August 2020

7 August 2020

10 August 2020

11 August 2020

13 August 2020

14 August 2020

18 August 2020

21 August 2020

24 August 2020

25 August 2020

27 August 2020

28 August 2020

1 September 2020

2 September 2020

3 September 2020

4 September 2020

7 September 2020

8 September 2020

9 September 2020

10 September 2020

11 September 2020

14 September 2020

15 September 2020

16 September 2020

17 September 2020

18 September 2020

22 September 2020

23 September 2020

24 September 2020

25 September 2020

28 September 2020

30 September 2020

1 October 2020

2 October 2020

5 October 2020

8 October 2020

9 October 2020

12 October 2020

15 October 2020

16 October 2020

19 October 2020

21 October 2020

22 October 2020

23 October 2020

26 October 2020

29 October 2020

30 October 2020

2 November 2020

3 November 2020

5 November 2020

6 November 2020

9 November 2020

11 November 2020

13 November 2020

16 November 2020

17 November 2020

20 November 2020

23 November 2020

24 November 2020

25 November 2020

27 November 2020

30 November 2020

1 December 2020

3 December 2020

4 December 2020

9 December 2020

11 December 2020

14 December 2020

15 December 2020

16 December 2020

17 December 2020

18 December 2020

21 December 2020

23 December 2020

29 December 2020

30 December 2020

5 January 2021

8 January 2021

11 January 2021

12 January 2021

13 January 2021

14 January 2021

15 January 2021

18 January 2021

19 January 2021

21 January 2021

22 January 2021

25 January 2021

26 January 2021

28 January 2021

29 January 2021

1 February 2021

3 February 2021

5 February 2021

8 February 2021

10 February 2021

11 February 2021

12 February 2021

15 February 2021

17 February 2021

19 February 2021

22 February 2021

23 February 2021

26 February 2021

1 March 2021

2 March 2021

3 March 2021

4 March 2021

5 March 2021

8 March 2021

9 March 2021

10 March 2021

12 March 2021

15 March 2021

16 March 2021

17 March 2021

18 March 2021

22 March 2021

24 March 2021

25 March 2021

29 March 2021

31 March 2021

1 April 2021

7 April 2021

8 April 2021

9 April 2021

15 April 2021

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