Commentary on Sections Part 3: Final Provisions Section 27: Commencement
80.Subsections (1) and (3) specify that Parts 1 and 2 of the Act come into force on such day as the Minister may appoint by order and that Part 3 comes into force on Royal Assent. This is subject to one exception, which is that paragraph 28 of Schedule 5 (power to bring forward effect of paragraph 6 of that Schedule) comes into force two months after Royal Assent (subsection (2)).
81.Subsection (4) provides that a commencement order may specify different days for different purposes. This includes commencing provisions of the Act on different days in different parts of the United Kingdom.
82.Subsection (10) empowers the Minister, by order, to make transitional, transitory or saving provisions connected with the commencement of any provision of the Act.
83.Subsections (5) to (9) make particular provision for the commencement of section 19 (voters waiting at polling station at close of poll). An order commencing that section may modify legislation and may make consequential, supplementary and incidental provision for the purposes of the section, or otherwise make provision to enable the section to operate.