Statute Law Revision Act
Statute Law Revision Act is a stock short title which was formerly used in the United Kingdom, and is still used in Australia, Canada and in the Republic of Ireland, for legislation whose purpose is statute law revision. Such Acts normally repealed legislation which was either obsolete in the sense of being no longer relevant, or spent in the sense of having ceased to be in force otherwise than by virtue of formal repeal (for example because the Act was only in force for a particular time or purpose which has expired). In the United Kingdom, the short title Statute Law (Repeals) Act is now used instead. "Statute Law Revision Acts" may collectively refer to enactments with this short title.
The single biggest Statute Law Revision Act in any jurisdiction was the Statute Law Revision Act 2007 enacted in Ireland which repealed 3,225 previous Acts. The Statute Law Revision programme commenced in Ireland in 2003 which has resulted in four Statute Law Revision Acts to date (see below) and the express repeal of a total of around 8,000 Acts is the largest statute law revision programme carried out internationally.[1]
Statute Law Revision Acts are sometimes referred to as expurgation Acts.[2]
United Kingdom
Statute Law Revision Bills must be referred to the Joint Committee on Consolidation etc. Bills.[3][4] The scope of Statute Law Revision Bills is confined to the repeal of obsolete, spent, unnecessary or superseded enactments.[5]
Halsbury's Laws said that Statute Law Revision Acts are law reform Acts.[6]
The Statute Law Committee prepared the Bills for Statute Law Revision Acts up to, and including, the Statute Law Revision Act 1966.[7]
The following list includes any Act the short title of which includes the words "statute law revision", without prejudice to suggestions that some of these Acts are not actually Statute Law Revision Acts.
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1861 (24 & 25 Vict. c. 101)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1863 (26 & 27 Vict. c. 125)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1867 (30 & 31 Vict. c. 59)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1870 (33 & 34 Vict. c. 69)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1871 (34 & 35 Vict. c. 116)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1872 (35 & 36 Vict. c. 63)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1872 (No. 2) (35 & 36 Vict. c. 97)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1873 (36 & 37 Vict. c. 91)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1874 (37 & 38 Vict. c. 35)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1874 (No. 2) (37 & 38 Vict. c. 96)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1875 (38 & 39 Vict. c. 66)
- The Statute Law Revision (Substituted Enactments) Act 1876 (39 & 40 Vict. c. 20)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1878 (41 & 42 Vict. c. 79)
- The Statute Law Revision and Civil Procedure Act 1881 (44 & 45 Vict. c. 59)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1883 (46 & 47 Vict. c. 39)
- The Statute Law Revision and Civil Procedure Act 1883 (46 & 47 Vict. c. 49)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1887 (50 & 51 Vict. c. 59)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1888 (51 & 52 Vict. c. 3)
- The Statute Law Revision (No. 2) Act 1888 (51 & 52 Vict. c. 57)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1890 (53 & 54 Vict. c. 33)
- The Statute Law Revision (No. 2) Act 1890 (53 & 54 Vict. c. 51)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1891 (54 & 55 Vict. c. 67)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1892 (55 & 56 Vict. c. 19)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1893 (56 & 57 Vict. c. 14)
- The Statute Law Revision (No. 2) Act 1893 (56 & 57 Vict. c. 54)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1894 (57 & 58 Vict. c. 56)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1898 (61 & 62 Vict. c. 22)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1908 (8 Edw. 7 c. 49)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1927 (17 & 18 Geo. 5 c. 42)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1948 (11 & 12 Geo. 6 c. 62)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1950 (14 Geo. 6 c. 6)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1953 (2 & 3 Eliz. 2 c. 5)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1958 (6 & 7 Eliz. 2 c. 46)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1959 (7 & 8 Eliz. 2 c. 68)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1960 (8 & 9 Eliz. 2 c. 56)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1963 (c. 30)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1964 (c. 79)
- The Statute Law Revision (Consequential Repeals) Act 1965 (c. 55)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1966 (c. 5)
Courtenay Ilbert said that the 19 & 20 Vict c 64 was the first Statute Law Revision Act.[8]
The Promissory Oaths Act 1871 (34 & 35 Vict c 48), the Civil Procedure Acts Repeal Act 1879 (42 & 43 Vict c 59) and the Master and Servant Act 1889 (52 & 53 Vict c 24) were expressed by their preambles to be passed for the purpose of statute law revision.
Scotland
- The Statute Law Revision (Scotland) Act 1906 (6 Edw. 7 c. 38)
- The Statute Law Revision (Scotland) Act 1964 (c. 80)
Ireland (Pre-1922)
(also see Republic of Ireland below)
- The Statute Law (Ireland) Revision Act 1872 (35 & 36 Vict. c. 98)
- The Statute Law Revision (Ireland) Act 1878 (41 & 42 Vict. c. 57)
- The Statute Law Revision (Ireland) Act 1879 (42 & 43 Vict. c. 24)
Northern Ireland
- The Statute Law Revision Act (Northern Ireland) 1952 (c. 1) (N.I.)
- The Statute Law Revision Act (Northern Ireland) 1953 (c. 1) (N.I.)
- The Statute Law Revision Act (Northern Ireland) 1954 (c. 35) (N.I.)
- The Statute Law Revision (Northern Ireland) Act 1973 (c. 55)
- The Statute Law Revision (Northern Ireland) Act 1976 (c. 12)
- The Statute Law Revision (Northern Ireland) Act 1980 (c. 59)
The Statute Law Revision Acts (Northern Ireland) 1952 and 1953 means the Statute Law Revision Act (Northern Ireland) 1952 and the Statute Law Revision Act (Northern Ireland) 1953.[9]
The Statute Law Revision Acts (Northern Ireland) 1952 to 1954 means the Statute Law Revision Acts (Northern Ireland) 1952 and 1953, and the Statute Law Revision Act (Northern Ireland) 1954.[10]
The Short Titles Act (Northern Ireland) 1951 and the Repeal of Unnecessary Laws Act (Northern Ireland) 1953 also contribute to the revision of the statute book in Northern Ireland.[11]
Isle of Man
The following Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom repealed enactments extending to the Isle of Man:
- The Statute Law Revision (Isle of Man) Act 1991 (c. 61)
Republic of Ireland
Pre-2005
- The Fisheries (Statute Law Revision) Act 1949 (No 27)
- The Fisheries (Statute Law Revision) Act 1956 (No 28)
- The Statute Law Revision (Pre-Union Irish Statutes) Act 1962 (No 29)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1983 (No 11)
Enacted since 2005 as part of the current Statute Law Revision Programme
The following statutes have been enacted under the current Statute Law Revision Programme:
- The Statute Law Revision (Pre-1922) Act 2005 (No 32)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 2007 (No 28)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 2009 (No 46)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 2012 (No 19)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 2015 (No 23)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 2016 (No 20)
Australia
Federal legislation
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1974 (No 20) ComLaw
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1981 (No 61)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1996 (No 43) ComLaw
- The Statute Law Revision Act 2002 (No 63) ComLaw
- The Statute Law Revision Act 2005 (No 100)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 2006 (No 9) ComLaw
- The Statute Law Revision Act 2007 (No 8) ComLaw
- The Statute Law Revision Act 2008 (No 73)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 2010 (No 8)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 2011 (No 5)
Australian Capital Territory
- The Statute Law Revision (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1992 (No 23)
- The Statute Law Revision (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1993 (No 1)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1994 (No 26)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1995 (No 46)
- The Statute Law Revision (Penalties) Act 1994 (No 81)
- The Statute Law Revision (Penalties) Act 1998 (No 54)
New South Wales
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1898 (No 28)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1924 (No 34)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1937 (No 35)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1976 (No 63)
- The Statute Law Revision (Local Government) Act 1995 (No 11)
Northern Territory
- The Statute Law Revision Act 2005 (No 44)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 2007 (No 4)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 2008 (No 6)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 2009 (No 25)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 2010 (No 29)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 2011 (No 30)
South Australia
Tasmania
- The Statute Law Revision (Penalties) Act 1995 (No 35)
- The Statute Law Revision (Repeals) Act 2000 (No 27)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 2003 (No 9)
Victoria
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1891 (No 1236)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1893 (No 1348)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1916 (No 2875)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1929 (No 3816)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1930 (No 3943)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1933 (No 4191)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1934 (No 4264)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1937 (No 4485)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1939 (No 4636)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1940 (No 4726)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1941 (No 4840)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1947 (No 5217)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1948 (No 5331)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1951 (No 5602)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1953 (No 5753)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1955 (No 5896)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1957 (No 6112)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1959 (No 6547)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1960 (No 6716)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1961 (No 6759)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1962 (No 6867)
- The Statute Law (Further Revision) Act 1962 (No 6961)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1963 (No 7065)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1964 (No 7142)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1965 (No 7332)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1971 (No 8181)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1977 (No 9059)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1980 (No 9427)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1981 (No 9549)
- The Statute Law Revision (Repeals) Act 1982 (No 9863)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1983 (No 9902)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1984 (No 10087)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 1995 (No 11)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 2005 (No 10)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 2007 (No 28)
- The Statute Law Revision Act 2011 (No 29)
Statute Law Revision Committee Act
- The Statute Law Revision Committee Act 1916 (No 2876)
- The Statute Law Revision Committee Act 1948 (No 5285)
- The Statute Law Revision Committee (Amendment) Act 1953 (No 5737)
- The Statute Law Revision Committee (Amendment) Act 1955 (No 5855)
Western Australia
See also
References
- ↑ See http://www.irishexaminerusa.com/mt/2008/05/07/taoiseach_announces_major_bill.html
- ↑ Abbott, Austin. "Legal Reform in England" (1870) 1 Albany Law Journal 509. Courtenay Ilbert applied the term expurgatory Act both to Statute Law Revision Acts and also to Acts which, although they consisted almost entirely of repeals, did not come within the narrow lines laid down for the Statute Law Revision Acts, because they contained substantive enactments. Examples included the Promissory Oaths Act 1871, the Statute Law Revision and Civil Procedure Act 1881, the Statute Law Revision and Civil Procedure Act 1883 and the Summary Jurisdiction Act 1884: Legislative Methods and Forms. Oxford. 1901. Reprinted by the Lawbook Exchange Ltd. 2008. Page 62 from Google Books.
- ↑ HL Standing Orders (2010) (Public Business), No 51(2)
- ↑ HC Standing Orders (2011) (Public Business) No 140(1)(b)
- ↑ Michael Bedford (editor). Dod's Parliamentary Companion 1998. 179th Edition. Vacher Dod Publishing Limited. 1998. ISBN 0-905702-26-3. Page 484.
- ↑ Halsbury's Laws of England. Fourth Edition. Reissue. Butterworths. London. 1995. Volume 44(1). Paragraph 1224 at page 722.
- ↑ Halsbury's Statutes. Fourth Edition. 2008 Reissue. Volume 41. Page 691.
- ↑ Ilbert, C P. Legislative Methods and Forms. Oxford. 1901. Reprinted by the Lawbook Exchange Ltd. 2008. Page 57. Digitised copy from Google Books.
- ↑ The Statute Law Revision Act (Northern Ireland) 1953, section 3(2)
- ↑ The Statute Law Revision Act (Northern Ireland) 1954, section 2(2)
- ↑ (1953-1954) 19-20 Irish Jurist and Irish Jurist Reports 14 and 61