Converting a UK Bill into an Act

Introduction

Once a Bill has gone through all the amending phases and is ready for enactment, its content will need updating so that it becomes an Act.

Converting a UK Bill into an Act will make the following changes:

• Updates the XML so that it is now an Act document type

• Inserts the Act front cover (containing Short title, Chapter Number and Explanatory Notes statement)

• Inserts new Table of Contents (containing Short title, Chapter Number)

• The date of enactment rubric will be added after the long title and the Act Year and Chapter Number will be inserted under the Short title in the preface

• “Bill” in the short title will be changed to “Act” and the Act Year inserted at the end

• “Bill” in the long title will be changed to “Act”

• The stage version rubric will be removed

• The back cover will be removed (if there is one)

How to convert a UK Bill into an Act

You can create the Act version of a bill by selecting the “Create Act Version” option from the Actions menu. See the detailed steps below.

1. On the Project Tab, open the Actions menu next to the final version of the bill and choose ‘Convert to Act’.

2. A modal will open; in the modal, specify the Folder and a new version name, and then optionally choose the Assent date, Act year, and Chapter Number.

3. When you have provided a folder and version description, click Create.

4. Open the newly created document version in the Editor and do the following:​

   • Check the Act title​ is correct;

   • Update the Document Information including Act year, chapter number & assent date​ (see Managing document information);

   • Delete Explanatory Notes rubric from front cover​ if not required (and any other element, e.g. the table of contents);

   • Save the document.

5. Generate a PDF (see Generating and viewing a PDF.

6. On the Project Tab, find the PDF snapshot of the approved PDF version and select Submit to TNA.

Known limitation and workaround

Known limitation and workaround: If you remove the “Accompanying documents statement” element from an Act front cover and save, but subsequently realise you needed that statement, there’s no way of re-adding it. If this occurs, the workaround is to re-inserting the front cover.