Tom Shehan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Joe McHugh. I echo Senator Byrne's remarks and marvel at what was required to bring this Bill to the House. The sheer volume of the legislation is unbelievable, and the programme has taken 12 years' work, which is phenomenal. When I look at the Acts and orders that are being repealed, what jumps out at me is the proclamation prohibiting the sale of cattle other than on a market day that dates from 1543. One could not call it a spring clean of the Statute Book, as it took 12 years, but when one sees the number of Acts and the number of secondary instruments, which run into the thousands, that had to be repealed, one would realise it was laborious. I do not envy those who were tasked with this work, which will put the Statute Book on a better standing. Should people from other jurisdictions look at the Statute Book, they would see laws dating back to the 1500s, but I hope that when this body of work is completed we will have a modern, up-to-date Statute Book. I congratulate the Minister on this body of work.