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Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Michael McGrath TD announces Government approval for new Statute Law Revision Bill
The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Michael McGrath TD today announced that the Government has approved the drafting of a new Statute Law Revision Bill to simplify and improve accessibility of legislation in Ireland and has reaffirmed its commitment to a programme of modernising the statute book.
Minister McGrath commented,
“I am pleased that the Government has approved my legislative proposals to continue with our task of simplifying the statute book and improving its accessibility. This Statute Law Revision Bill will further reduce the outdated and unnecessary legislation cluttering our statute book and pave the way for further modernisation measures.
This is a mammoth undertaking to ensure that we have a fit for purpose statute book on which further necessary reforms can be based. A lengthy consultation period took place in 2021 whereby all government departments, bodies and other stakeholders potentially impacted by the instruments identified were consulted to fully understand the implications of the proposed retentions or revocations. This was followed up by a public consultation this year and I would like to thank all those who have participated enthusiastically in this process. 100 years since Ireland’s Independence, this is ongoing and important work.”
The Bill will see the assessment of further pre-independence secondary legislation, building upon the clarity brought by the Statute Law Revision Acts enacted between 2005 and 2016. These Acts reviewed all primary legislation enacted prior to 1950 and repealed those which were spent or obsolete, as well as all secondary legislation up to 1820.
The vast number of items of legislation - over 75,000 Acts and instruments already examined - mean that the work of tidying up the statute book must be done in a comprehensive and planned way. This Bill will continue the review work for a further 40 years to cover secondary instruments up to 1860 and will be followed by further measures in a comprehensive programme to bring the statute book entirely up to date.
ENDS