Inserting Commencement Tables
Commencement tables can be added to a SI/SSI when the drafter is ready and appears at the end of the document, after the Explanatory Note.
How to insert a Commencement Table
From the upper tool bar, select ‘Insert > Insert Commencement Table’.
The system will insert a commencement history block at the end of your document, pre-populated with the standard rubric and default table.
Completing a Commencement Table
Adding text
To add text to your Commencement Table, simply type in the text placeholders.
You can add structured text using the Content Creation Assistant (CCA) (press Enter, or right click → ‘Insert element’).
Adding new rows
To add a new row, right click on the table and select ‘Table…’ → ‘Insert new row above/below’.
Importing a Commencement Table from existing legislation
Instead of drafting an entire commencement table new, you may want to start from an existing table in a previous piece of legislation.
You can import this from legislation.gov.uk by importing the previous legislative document to Lawmaker, then copying the table from the imported document into your draft.
See Import legislation from www.legislation.gov.uk for guidance on how to import an existing legislative document.
Once you have imported the document, copy the table across by doing the following:
Open the document you have just imported;
Go to the Commencement Table and place your cursor anywhere within it;
From the breadcrumb, select Table to highlight the entire table;
Press Ctrl + C to copy;
Open your draft document and insert a commencement table (if you have not already) - see guidance above;
Place your cursor in the new table;
From the breadcrumb, select Table to highlight the entire table;
Press Ctrl + V to paste.
The table from the existing legislation should be copied in place of the draft table.
Check the formatting of the imported table as they may not match the desired format. See Inserting and managing tables for instructions on updating your table to change the formatting.