Dan Boyle (Cork South Central, Green Party)

I would not be surprised with any idea he comes up with. Not only is the language content of these Bills offensive to modern vernacular, but the titles of some of them are also quite surprising. The Inferior Courts Officers Act 1858 applies to Ireland, but that is no way to refer to the Judiciary, although there are Members in this House who would be tempted to use that type of language. There are Acts referring to dangerous performances, while one of the later Acts deals with the removal of sex disqualification. Given the confusion that the titles of these Acts would cause in the public mind, it would be a good day's work for the Oireachtas to remove these ambiguities.

There is other interesting legislation that has important historical resonance. There are references to the National School Teachers Residences Act 1875 and other legislation that deals with the development of education in the 19th century. One of the later Bills to come before the British Parliament was a Dublin Reconstruction (Emergency Provision) Act 1916. Without knowing its contents, it can only be presumed it was some type of appropriation Bill to pay for whatever structural damage was caused in Dublin as a result of the 1916 Rising. It is something worth mentioning in the course of this debate if we are consigning it to history today.

The pre-1922 legislation that will remain on the Statute Book once this Bill becomes an Act is important. What are the Government's plans to introduce new or consolidation legislation in such areas? The Minister of State mentioned in particular the Sale of Goods Act 1893, which is still cornerstone legislation for consumers. We now live in an even greater age of consumerism and the Sale of Goods Act 1893 has been followed by new legislation dealing with consumer issues. That Act and all subsequent consumer legislation should be consolidated. I regret to say it is not a priority in this Government's legislative programme. My party has advocated the creation of a department of consumer affairs to deal with the more wide ranging issues of this legislation. The creation of such a Cabinet post would be justified.

The previous reservation aside, the Green Party wholeheartedly supports the principle behind this Bill. It is not seeking to amend any of the legislation that has been listed in the Schedule for deletion and removal from the Statute Book. We look forward to the expeditious passage of the Bill through the House.

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