Locked nums are indicated by the dotted box surrounding a provision’s number. Locking a number is a way of preserving the provision’s number when triggering a ‘renumber’ operation.
They are useful when drafting amendments as locking a provision will ensure it doesn’t get renumbered from the starting number e.g. 1.
However, when the amendment is applied, the locks may no longer be required. As part of the auto-application and checking process, locks should be removed as required so that when the whole document is renumbered at the end of preparing the as amended copy - the right provisions are being renumbered.
The following table explains what happens to locks when amendments are automatically applied to the bill:
Scenario | Outcome when amendment is applied |
|---|---|
If the num is empty (ignoring parentheses inside paragraph, subsection etc. nums) and the num is locked | The lock is ignored. Upon auto-application, the lock will be removed and a number will be assigned to the provision using the auto-assign numbering rule
|
If the num has been specified and the num is locked | The lock is preserved. Upon auto-application, the lock will remain and the number doesn’t change
|
If the num is empty OR the num has been specified and the num is not locked | Upon auto-application, a number will be assigned to the provision using the auto-assign numbering rule
|