Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I assure the Senator that this is not what we are doing. The Senator's amendment seeks to remove an instrument of 1215 from the schedule of revoked instruments. The instrument was designed to publish the Magna Carta. Unfortunately, no text has been located during the research for this Bill for the proclamation of 1215. In the interest of transparency, we have adopted the clear policy that we cannot retain on our Statute Book any legislation in respect of which no text is available. Therefore, the proclamation of 1215 cannot be retained. However, I assure Senator Norris that the revocation of this proclamation will not revoke the Magna Carta itself, especially in this its 800th anniversary year. As the House may be aware, the Magna Carta was issued in a number of different versions between 1215 and 1297 in England and in 1216 in Ireland. I assure the House that parts of the Magna Carta of 1215 and 1297 remain in force in Ireland, as does the 1216 Great Charter of Ireland, by reason of the Statute Law Revision Act 2007. The revocation of this instrument concerning the Magna Carta will not impact on the ongoing status of the statute.

I may not get an opportunity to speak on this again, but I would like to flag for Senators that I intend to bring forward amendments on Report Stage to insert a number of further instruments into Schedule 1 and to modify the subject matter of an instrument which is also in Schedule 1. The additional instruments have come to the attention of the statute law revision programme following publication of the Bill. The amendment to the subject matter will ensure more consistency in the manner in which the subject matter of the instruments are referred to.

In response to Senator Byrne's legitimate question, I believe it has been worth going through this process, and during Report Stage, I will take an opportunity to try to give an overview of its significance. This is the largest international project, in terms of statute repeal, undertaken in this country. The process was started by the Fianna Fáil-led Government and has been ongoing for 13 years. I believe it will leave us with a more up-to-date and accessible Statute Book and will remove instruments that are completely spent and irrelevant.