What are Bills and Acts?
A Bill is a proposal for a law,
which is submitted to Parliament in the form of a draft Act. A Bill
passes through three readings in Parliament before it becomes an
Act. You can find more information in the next section about how
bills are prepared, and about the first, second and third reading
stages of a Bill.
When a draft or proposed law has passed through three readings of
Parliament and been certified by the Speaker, it becomes law and it
is then called an Act of Parliament. An Act of Parliament is
sometimes also referred to as a statute, law or piece of
legislation. In the plural, Acts of Parliament may be referred to
collectively as 'legislation'. Once an Act of Parliament has been
passed, it is certified by the Speaker and is given an Act
number.