Legislative Competency Order

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In Wales, a Legislative Competency Order or LCO (pronounced 'elco' [1]) is a piece of constitutional legislation in the form of an Order In Council. It transfers legislative authority to the National Assembly for Wales. Each LCO adds a matter to a field which is stated in schedule 5 of the Government of Wales Act 2006. Each matter is then giving the Welsh Assembly Government permission to pass legislation known as an Assembly Measure.

Each LCO allows an Assembly Measure to make provision in an area, e.g. Health and Social Services, Education, for the Assembly to pass. The LCO must be approved by the Assembly, Secretary of State for Wales, both Houses of Parliament and then the Queen in Council

The text that comes with the LCO contains the actual would be long title of the legislation (Measure) that would be passed by the Welsh Assembly later on, for example "Provision about the curriculum in schools maintained by local education authorities"[2] would appear on the LCO and would later form the title of the Measure once written up.

[edit] See also

Assembly Measures - the laws passed by the National Assembly for Wales once the LCO is passed.
Contemporary Welsh Law - the term of art now used to describe the body of law that is made from this system.
Act of Parliament
Statutory Instruments