Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We are responding to a piece of legislation which seeks to revoke an instrument of 1755. The Senator's amendment seeks to remove an instrument of 1755 from the Schedule of revoked instruments. The instrument concerned is an order of 1755 for the surveying of pavements in the City of Dublin. It requires all church wardens and the directors of the watch in their respective parishes throughout the city to return full and particular surveys of the defects in the pavements in their districts. However, it was a once off survey in 1755 for the purpose of having all of the pavements well and effectually repaired during the current season. The current season has well and truly expired. I take the Senator point about pavements but that is not a matter for the Statute Law Revision Bill. The job of the Statute Law Revision Bill is to keep our legislation up to date. As this instrument has been spent since 1755, I propose that it be removed from the Statute Book.