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Section 7: Urgency

Civil Contingencies Act 2004 · 2004 c. 36View on legislation.gov.uk

Part 1: Local Arrangements for Civil Protection

This section applies where—

there is an urgent need to make provision of a kind that could be made by an order under section 5(1) or by regulations under section 6(1), but
there is insufficient time for the order or regulations to be made.

The Minister may by direction make provision of a kind that could be made by an order under section 5(1) or by regulations under section 6(1).

A direction under subsection (2) shall be in writing.

Where a Minister gives a direction under subsection (2)—

he may revoke or vary the direction by further direction,
he shall revoke the direction as soon as is reasonably practicable (and he may, if or in so far as he thinks it desirable, re-enact the substance of the direction by way of an order under section 5(1) or by way of regulations under section 6(1)), and
the direction shall cease to have effect at the end of the period of 21 days beginning with the day on which it is given (but without prejudice to the power to give a new direction).

In relation to provision of a kind that could be made by the Department of Justice in Northern Ireland by an order under section 5(1) or by regulations under section 6(1), in subsection (2) the reference to the Minister is to be read as a reference to the Department of Justice and subsection (4) is to be read accordingly.

A provision of a direction under subsection (2) shall be treated for all purposes as if it were a provision of an order under section 5(1) or of regulations under section 6(1) made by the Minister or the Department of Justice (as the case may be).

About this text

This legislation text comes from legislation.gov.uk. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. These source and reuse terms cover the legislation text, not Remedy's commentary.

Reuse reviewed 21 August 2026 under Open Government Licence v3.0.