Seanad debates

Wednesday, 13 April 2005

Statute Law Revision (Pre-1922) Bill 2004: Second Stage.

 

3:00 pm

Photo of Tom KittTom Kitt (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)

I hope they will not be laughing at us. They may be entertained but I am sure they will realise, too, that we were doing our best. The bottom line is that old legislation is being replaced by modern health and safety legislation. The Leader and I had the privilege of serving in the then Department of Labour which dealt with legislation covering many such issues. Some animal welfare legislation has also been updated, so much progress has been made.

The Leader referred to the useful research that has been undertaken in this regard, for example, by students who have taken an interest in this area. As I said in my opening remarks, a website was used during the consultation process concerning this legislation — not just within Departments but also involving the public. I am interested in pursuing this aspect with regard to our own modus operandi for modern legislation. I am sure Senators will agree that it is useful to engage the public in some way. I have made an initial decision, subject to the co-operation of the other Whips, that as soon as possible, we will consult with members of the public regarding a pilot Bill via Internet websites — a modern means of communication — to get their input on legislation, perhaps on Committee Stage. In that way, members of a select committee would have an opportunity to hear the views of the public. In particular, I would like to engage with students on the right type of legislation but we will return to that issue on another occasion.

As regards the Bill before the House, it would be useful to share these great stories of the past with members of the public and hear what they have to say. I will ask my officials to see if they can provide a summary of the relevant legislation, which would show the tremendous research that has been undertaken. I thank my officials for the research work they have done in preparing this legislation.

I wish to share with the House as much as possible the information that is available. I will briefly go through some of the points that were raised during the debate. Senator Cummins referred to revised statutes but unfortunately we do not publish or prepare such material. Consolidation, restatement and the annual chronological tables are the current tools. The statue law revision unit is aware of this position, as is the Attorney General.

Senator O'Rourke spoke about the relevance of each Act. The Attorney General examined each statute in full and in case of any doubt they have not been repealed but will be re-examined at the next stage of the programme. Much work remains to be done and we will keep moving on that. Some Acts have been replaced by post-1922 legislation.

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