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LDC-W5303 — A parent with no pinned edition at the adoption date

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# LDC-W5303 — A parent with no pinned edition at the adoption date

## What it means

Checking a delegation means reading the parent as it stood when the act was adopted. That reading needs a pinned edition of the parent covering that date. When the parent was adopted long before but only later editions are pinned, there is a gap in the evidence: nothing can be said about what the power effected at the relevant date. The engine warns — an evidence gap, explicitly not a competence finding.

Pinning the contemporary edition clears the warning. Note the asymmetry the message states plainly: the warning says what cannot be established, and no refusal follows from a gap alone.

## Example

```run
{"argv": ["check-delegation", "$ROOT/sub.json", "$ROOT/parent.json", "--organ", "urn:org:fixture:ministry-health"], "files": {"sub.json": "{\"nodes\": [{\"kind\": \"source_work\", \"id\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:sub#ORDER\", \"package\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:sub\", \"sourceKind\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:sub#order\", \"basis\": [\"urn:law:fixture:delegation:parent#ApproveProcurementRules\"], \"regulates\": [\"urn:law:fixture:delegation:parent#ProcurementProcedure\"]}, {\"kind\": \"source_edition\", \"id\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:sub#ORDER_ED\", \"work\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:sub#ORDER\", \"package\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:sub\", \"lifecycle\": [{\"status\": \"adopted\", \"extent\": \"2026-05-01\"}, {\"status\": \"in_force\", \"extent\": \"2026-06-01\"}]}]}", "parent.json": "{\"nodes\": [{\"kind\": \"source_work\", \"id\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:parent#LAW\", \"package\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:parent\", \"sourceKind\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:parent#law\"}, {\"kind\": \"source_edition\", \"id\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:parent#LAW_ED\", \"work\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:parent#LAW\", \"package\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:parent\", \"lifecycle\": [{\"status\": \"adopted\", \"extent\": \"2020-01-01\"}, {\"status\": \"in_force\", \"extent\": \"2027-01-01\"}]}, {\"kind\": \"norm_template\", \"id\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:parent#ApproveProcurementRules\", \"package\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:parent\", \"modality\": \"power\", \"payload\": {\"kind\": \"power\", \"holder\": {\"kind\": \"entity_ref\", \"id\": \"urn:org:fixture:ministry-health\"}, \"exercise\": {\"kind\": \"call\", \"function\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:parent#approve_rules\", \"args\": [{\"kind\": \"entity_ref\", \"id\": \"urn:org:fixture:ministry-health\"}]}, \"effect\": {\"kind\": \"create\", \"after\": {\"kind\": \"literal\", \"polarity\": \"positive\", \"predicate\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:parent#rules_in_force\", \"args\": []}}, \"subject\": [\"urn:law:fixture:delegation:parent#ProcurementProcedure\"]}}]}"}, "expect": "LDC-W5303"}
```

## Fix

```run
{"argv": ["check-delegation", "$ROOT/sub.json", "$ROOT/parent.json", "--organ", "urn:org:fixture:ministry-health"], "files": {"sub.json": "{\"nodes\": [{\"kind\": \"source_work\", \"id\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:sub#ORDER\", \"package\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:sub\", \"sourceKind\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:sub#order\", \"basis\": [\"urn:law:fixture:delegation:parent#ApproveProcurementRules\"], \"regulates\": [\"urn:law:fixture:delegation:parent#ProcurementProcedure\"]}, {\"kind\": \"source_edition\", \"id\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:sub#ORDER_ED\", \"work\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:sub#ORDER\", \"package\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:sub\", \"lifecycle\": [{\"status\": \"adopted\", \"extent\": \"2026-05-01\"}, {\"status\": \"in_force\", \"extent\": \"2026-06-01\"}]}]}", "parent.json": "{\"nodes\": [{\"kind\": \"source_work\", \"id\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:parent#LAW\", \"package\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:parent\", \"sourceKind\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:parent#law\"}, {\"kind\": \"source_edition\", \"id\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:parent#LAW_ED\", \"work\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:parent#LAW\", \"package\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:parent\", \"lifecycle\": [{\"status\": \"in_force\", \"extent\": \"2020-01-01\"}, {\"status\": \"repealed\", \"extent\": \"2027-01-01\"}]}, {\"kind\": \"norm_template\", \"id\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:parent#ApproveProcurementRules\", \"package\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:parent\", \"modality\": \"power\", \"payload\": {\"kind\": \"power\", \"holder\": {\"kind\": \"entity_ref\", \"id\": \"urn:org:fixture:ministry-health\"}, \"exercise\": {\"kind\": \"call\", \"function\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:parent#approve_rules\", \"args\": [{\"kind\": \"entity_ref\", \"id\": \"urn:org:fixture:ministry-health\"}]}, \"effect\": {\"kind\": \"create\", \"after\": {\"kind\": \"literal\", \"polarity\": \"positive\", \"predicate\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:parent#rules_in_force\", \"args\": []}}, \"subject\": [\"urn:law:fixture:delegation:parent#ProcurementProcedure\"]}}]}"}, "expect": null}
```

## Engine message

The chain checker reports this in its own wording:

```text
LDC-W5303: act urn:law:fixture:delegation:sub#ORDER: on adoption date 2026-05-01 the corpus pinned no applicable edition of parent urn:law:fixture:delegation:parent#LAW — the parent was already adopted by that date, but only later editions are pinned; NOTHING can be said about the effect of power urn:law:fixture:delegation:parent#ApproveProcurementRules (this is an evidence gap, not a competence finding)
```

## Related

- [LDC-W5302](/diagnostics/LDC-W5302/) — the neighbouring delegation warning.