Obsolete 19th-century laws to be repealed

Ministers have approved the publication of the Statute Law Revision Bill 2024, which aims to continue simplifying the statute book and improving its accessibility.

It follows a review by the Law Reform Commission of all secondary legislation dating from between 1821 and 1860, a period which spans the Tithe War, Catholic emancipation and the Great Famine.

A series of Statute Law Revision Acts enacted between 2005 and 2016 previously reviewed all primary legislation enacted prior to 1950 and repealed those which were spent or obsolete, as well as all secondary legislation up to 1820.

Over 3,000 statutory and prerogative instruments are to be repealed by the latest bill.

Public expenditure and reform minister Paschal Donohoe said: “I am pleased that the government has approved my legislative proposals to continue with our task of simplifying the statute book and improving its accessibility.

“The Statute Law Revision Bill is part of a suite of measures contained in the Statute Law Revision Programme which will further reduce the outdated and unnecessary legislation cluttering our statute book and pave the way for further modernisation measures.”

In announcing the move, the government also said the bill “will be followed by further measures in a comprehensive programme to bring the statute book entirely up to date”.