Commentary on Sections Section 22: Duration of minimum pricing provisions
82.This section provides for the minimum pricing regime established by the Act to cease to have effect after 6 years from the date on which section 2 comes into force, unless the Welsh Ministers make regulations, before the regime ceases to have effect, providing otherwise. The Welsh Ministers cannot make regulations to this effect until at least 5 years after section 2 comes into force. The report referred to in section 21 will feed into the decision whether to make such regulations.
83.If no such regulations are made by the end of 6 years, the minimum pricing provisions are repealed.
84.If the minimum pricing provisions are repealed after 6 years, subsection (3) provides that the Welsh Ministers may, by regulations, make any necessary or expedient provision as a result of that fact. This would include any transitional, transitory or saving provision. So for instance, if before the repeal of the minimum pricing provisions another Act cross-referred to them, this power could be used to remove that reference.
85.Subsection (4) defines what is meant by the minimum pricing provisions for these purposes.