Orders in Council

Order in council-          made by Queen and Privy Council -          can be used for a wide variety of purposes -          e.g. regulations of certain professional bodies -          they are used when an ordinary statutory instrument would be inappropriate -          e.g. when transferring responsibilities between government department -          OiC where used to transfer powers from ministers of UK government to ministers of devolved assemblies in Scotland and Wales -          OiC is used to dissolve Parliament in preparation for a general election and sometimes make specific law changes -          e.g. Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 to reclassify cannabis -          in emergencies when Parliament is not sitting, and OiC can be made under the Emergency Powers Act 1920 and Civil Contingencies Act 2004-          e.g. used during the fuel crisis of 2000

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