Commentary on Sections Part 5: General Section 26: Enactment establishing assemblies immaterial
98.Section 26 ensures that the Secretary of State is able to use his powers under this Act without there being an enactment conferring on him power to establish an elected regional assembly. So he may, for example, give effect to the recommendations resulting from a local government review because section 17(1)(b), read together with section 26, allows him to propose to establish an elected regional assembly without yet having the necessary powers to proceed to do so.