STATUTES (CONSOLIDATION)

HC Deb 21 June 1944 vol 401 cc192-4

59. Mr. Keeling

asked the Attorney-General whether he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT the recommendations of the Statute Law Committee as to the priority in which different groups of statutes should be consolidated.

The Attorney-General. (Sir Donald Somervell)

The Statute Law Revision Committee has no authority to lay down a programme of consolidation. It did in 1938 consider what in its view were suitable subjects for consolidation. I am publishing this list in the OFFICIAL REPORT. The Statute Law on three of these subjects has since been consolidated. Although some preliminary work has been done by draftsmen during the war it has been impracticable to make any real progress with this very important work. After the war I hope it will be possible to undertake this work in a more extensive and systematic way than has been done hitherto.

Following is the list:

• Air Navigation.
• Bastardy.
• Births and deaths registration.
• Burials.
• Church buildings and new parishes.^*
• Corrupt Practices.
• Court of justiciary (Scotland).
• Court of Session (Scotland).
• Criminal Law Amendment Acts (1885, 1912, 1922, 1928).
• Crown Lands.
• Cruelty to Animals.
• Customs.
• Dangerous Drugs
• Death Duties.
• Defence Acts.
• Diseases of Animals.
• Documentary Evidence.
• Education, Scotland.
• Excise.
• Gold and Silver Plate.
• Highways, England.
• House of Commons Disqualification.
• Inclosures.
• Income Tax.
• Indictable Offences (procedure before justices).
• Juries.
• Justices.
• Limitations.^*
• Local Government (Scotland).
• London Government.^*
• Lunacy (England).
• Lunacy (Scotland).
• Marriage.
• Merchandise Marks.
• Merchant Shipping.
• National Debt.
• Pharmacy (the unconsolidated part of the Pharmacy and Poisons Acts).
• Police.
• Post Office.
• Prisons.
• Public Health (Scotland).
• Punishment.
• Roads and Bridges (Scotland).
• Savings Banks (Trustee and Post Office).
• Sheriff Courts (Scotland).
• Summary Jurisdiction.
• Superannuation.
• Supreme Court of judicature.
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• Supreme Court of Northern Ireland.
• Waterworks Clauses.
• Weights and Measures.
• ^*Consolidating Acts since passed.