Statute Law Revision Act (with its variations) is a stock short title which has been used in Antigua, Australia, Barbados, Bermuda, Canada, Ghana, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa and the United Kingdom, for Acts with the purpose of statute law revision. Such Acts normally repealed legislation which was expired, spent, repealed in general terms, virtually repealed, superseded, obsolete or unnecessary. In the United Kingdom, Statute Law (Repeals) Acts are now passed instead. "Statute Law Revision Acts" may collectively refer to enactments with this short title.
The single largest Statute Law Revision Act in any jurisdiction was the Statute Law Revision Act 2007 enacted in Ireland which repealed 3,225 previous Acts.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 six 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]
- ^ 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.