Article 15.2.1 of the Irish Constitution provides that “the sole and exclusive power of making laws for the State is hereby vested in the Oireachtas: no other legislative authority has power to make laws for the State”. In practice, however, Irish courts have accepted that certain legislative functions can be delegated to the Government. This brief contribution discusses the extent to which delegated legislation can be actually adopted by the Irish Government. It examines the “principles and policies” test elaborated in Cityview Press and in subsequent case law, in particular, Laurentiu and Bederev. According to this test, principles and policies must be determined in the primary act and the secondary legislation must give effect to the policy of the primary measure. This contribution also analyses the “commencement orders”, as a specific case of delegation, in light of Sheenan v Ireland and Rooney v Ministry of Agriculture.