There are three types of delegated legislation, the first of which is orders in council. The Queen and her privy council have the authority to make Orders in Council under the emergency powers Act 1920, but this authority will usually only be exercised in times of emergency when Parliament is not sitting.
The second way to delegate legislation is by Statutory Instruments, where by Ministers and their government departments are given the authority to make regulations for areas under their responsibility. Thus the Lord Chancellor was given power regarding Legal Aid Schemes. The use of statutory Instruments is a major method of Law-making. As there are about 3000 statutory instruments made each year.
Lastly, the final was to make delegated legislation is by using Bylaws, these can be made by local authorities to cover matters within their own areas. Many local Bylaws will involve traffic control, such as parking restrictions. Public corporations and certain companies may be given the power to make rules and regulations, which are made to ensure the public safety; an example is No Smoking on Trains.
The reason for delegated legislation is because parliament does not have the time to consider and debate every small detail of complex regulations. In addition Parliament may not have the required technical expertise or knowledge for example health and safety in different industries need different expert advice. While legislation of local matter need to be dealt with by someone with local knowledge.
The process of passing an Act of Parliament can take a considerable amount of time, an in an emergency, Parliament may not be able to pass an Act in enough time. This is another reason why legislation is delegated. Delegated legislation can also be amended or revoked quite easily when necessary, so that the Law may be kept up to date, and Ministers can respond to new or unforeseen situations by amending or amplifying Statutory Instruments.
