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Statute Law Revision Act 1883

Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Statute Law Revision Act 1883
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The Statute Law Revision Act 1883 (46 & 47 Vict. c. 39) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that repealed for the United Kingdom enactments from 1707 to 1868 which had ceased to be in force or had become necessary. The act was intended, in particular, to facilitate the preparation of the revised edition of the statutes, then in progress.

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Background

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In the United Kingdom, acts of Parliament remain in force until expressly repealed. Blackstone's Commentaries on the Laws of England, published in the late 18th-century, raised questions about the system and structure of the common law and the poor drafting and disorder of the existing statute book.[1]

In 1806, the Commission on Public Records passed a resolution requesting the production of a report on the best mode of reducing the volume of the statute book.[2] From 1810 to 1825, The Statutes of the Realm was published, providing for the first time the authoritative collection of acts.[2] In 1816, both Houses of Parliament passed resolutions that an eminent lawyer with 20 clerks be commissioned to make a digest of the statutes, which was declared "very expedient to be done." However, this was never done.[3]

At the start of the parliamentary session in 1853, Lord Cranworth announced his intention to the improvement of the statute law and in March 1853, appointed the Board for the Revision of the Statute Law to repeal expired statutes and continue consolidation, with a wider remit that included civil law.[2] The Board issued three reports, recommending the creation of a permanent body for statute law reform.

In 1854, Lord Cranworth appointed the Royal Commission for Consolidating the Statute Law to consolidate existing statutes and enactments of English law.[2] The Commission made four reports.

An alternative approach, focusing on expunging obsolete laws from the statute book, followed by consolidation, was proposed by Peter Locke King MP, who was heavily critical of the expenditure of the Commission and the lack of results.[4] This approach was taken by the Repeal of Obsolete Statutes Act 1856 (19 & 20 Vict. c. 64), considered to be the first Statute Law Revision Act.[2]

On 17 February 1860, the Attorney General, Sir Richard Bethell told the House of Commons that he had engaged Sir Francis Reilly and A. J. Wood to expurgate the statute book of all acts which, though not expressly repealed, were not in force, working backwards from the present time.[2]

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Passage

The bill had its first reading in the House of Lords on 3 August 1883, introduced by the Lord Chancellor, Roundell Palmer, 1st Baron Selborne.[5] The bill had its second reading in the House of Lords on 7 August 1883 and was committed to a committee of the whole house,[5] which met and reported on 9 August 1883, with amendments.[5] The amended bill had its third reading in the House of Lords on 13 August 1883 and passed, with amendments.[5]

The amended bill had its first reading in the House of Commons on 14 August 1883.[6] The bill had its second reading in the House of Commons on 16 August 1883 and was committed to a committee of the whole house,[6] which met and reported on 18 August 1883, without amendments.[6] The bill had its third reading in the House of Commons on 18 August 1883 and passed, without amendments.[6]

The bill was granted royal assent on 25 August 1883.[5]

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Legacy

The act was intended, in particular, to facilitate the preparation of a revised edition of the statutes.

The preamble, and the schedule, to the act were repealed by section 1 of, and Part I of the Schedule to, the Statute Law Revision Act 1898 (61 & 62 Vict. c. 22).

The act was partly in force in Great Britain at the end of 2010.[7]

The enactments which were repealed (whether for the whole or any part of the United Kingdom) by the act were repealed so far as they extended to the Isle of Man[8] on 25 July 1991.[9]

The act was retained for the Republic of Ireland by section 2(2)(a) of, and Part 4 of Schedule 1 to, the Statute Law Revision Act 2007.

Repealed enactments

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Section 1 of the act repealed 477 enactments, listed in the schedule to the act, across six categories:[10][c]

  • Expired
  • Spent
  • Repealed in general terms
  • Virtually repealed
  • Superseded
  • Obsolete

Section 1 of the act included several safeguards to ensure that the repeal does not negatively affect existing rights or ongoing legal matters. Specifically, any legal rights, privileges, or remedies already obtained under the repealed laws, as well as any legal proceedings or principles established by them, remain unaffected. Section 1 of the act also ensured that repealed enactments that have been incorporated into other laws would continue to have legal effect in those contexts. Moreover, the repeal would not revive any former rights, offices, or jurisdictions that had already been abolished.[10]

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See also

Notes

  1. Section 2.
  2. The Note of the bill, unlike the schedule, gives commentary on each act, noting any earlier repeals and the reason for the new repeal.
  3. This act was repealed by the Patents, Designs, and Trade Marks Act 1883 (46 & 47 Vict. c. 57) which was also granted royal assent on 25 August 1883.

References

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