Statute Law Revision (No. 2) Act 1888

Statute Law Revision Act 1888^[a]

Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act for further promoting the Revision of the Statute Law by repealing superfluous expressions of enactment, and enactments which have ceased to be in force or have become unnecessary.
Citation	51 & 52 Vict. c. 57
Introduced by	Hardinge Giffard, 1st Baron Halsbury (Lords)
Territorial extent	United Kingdom
Dates
Royal assent	24 December 1888
Commencement	24 December 1888[b]
Repealed	16 November 1989 (UK only)
Other legislation
Amends	See § Repealed acts
Repeals/revokes	See § Repealed acts
Amended by	Statute Law Revision Act 1890 Statute Law Revision Act 1908 Courts Act 1971 Administration of Justice Act 1977
Relates to	Repeal of Obsolete Statutes Act 1856 Statute Law Revision Act 1861 Statute Law Revision Act 1863 Statute Law Revision Act 1867 Statute Law Revision Act 1870 Promissory Oaths Act 1871 Statute Law Revision Act 1871 Statute Law Revision Act 1872 Statute Law Revision Act 1872 (No. 2) Statute Law Revision (Ireland) Act 1872 Statute Law Revision Act 1873 Statute Law Revision Act 1874 Statute Law Revision Act 1874 (No. 2) Statute Law Revision Act 1875 Statute Law Revision (Substituted Enactments) Act 1876 Sheriffs Act 1887 Statute Law Revision Act 1878 Statute Law Revision (Ireland) Act 1878 Statute Law Revision (Ireland) Act 1879 Civil Procedure Acts Repeal Act 1879 Statute Law Revision and Civil Procedure Act 1881 Statute Law Revision and Civil Procedure Act 1883 Statute Law Revision Act 1883 Statute Law Revision Act 1887 Statute Law Revision Act 1888 Statute Law Revision Act 1890 Statute Law Revision (No. 2) Act 1890 Statute Law Revision Act 1891 Statute Law Revision Act 1892 Statute Law Revision Act 1893 Statute Law Revision Act 1894 Statute Law Revision Act 1898 Statute Law Revision Act 2007 (Republic of Ireland)
Status: Repealed
History of passage through Parliament
Records of Parliamentary debate relating to the statute from Hansard
Text of statute as originally enacted

The Statute Law Revision (No. 2) Act 1888 (51 & 52 Vict. c. 57) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that repealed various United Kingdom enactments which had ceased to be in force or had become necessary. The act was intended, in particular, to facilitate the preparation of the new edition of the revised edition of the statutes, then in progress.

Section 5 of the Statute Law Revision Act 1890 (53 & 54 Vict. c. 33) provided that the was to be read and construed as if, in the entry in the schedule to the act relating to the Assizes (Ireland) Act 1835 (5 & 6 Will. 4. c. 26), the reference to sections 1 and 2 and 3 were replaced by reference to sections 2 and 3 and 4.

Section 3 of the Statute Law Revision Act 1894 (57 & 58 Vict. c. 56) provided that the second schedule to that act was to be substituted for so much of this act and of the Statute Law Revision Act 1892 (55 & 56 Vict. c. 19) as related to the Small Debt (Scotland) Act 1837 (7 Will. 4 & 1 Vict. c. 41) and to the Burning of Houses (Dublin) Act 1841 (4 & 5 Vict. c. 10), and that "the said Statute Law Revision Acts" were to be read and construed accordingly.

In the United Kingdom, acts of Parliament remain in force until expressly repealed. Blackstone's Commentaries on the Laws of England, published in the late 18th-century, raised questions about the system and structure of the common law and the poor drafting and disorder of the existing statute book.^[1]

In 1806, the Commission on Public Records passed a resolution requesting the production of a report on the best mode of reducing the volume of the statute book.^[2] From 1810 to 1825, The Statutes of the Realm was published, providing for the first time the authoritative collection of acts.^[2] In 1816, both Houses of Parliament, passed resolutions that an eminent lawyer with 20 clerks be commissioned to make a digest of the statues, which was declared "very expedient to be done." However, this was never done.^[3]

At the start of the parliamentary session in 1853, Lord Cranworth announced his intention to the improvement of the statute law and in March 1853, appointed the Board for the Revision of the Statute Law to repeal expired statutes and continue consolidation, with a wider remit that included civil law.^[2] The Board issued three reports, recommending the creation of a permanent body for statute law reform.

In 1854, Lord Cranworth appointed the Royal Commission for Consolidating the Statute Law to consolidate existing statutes and enactments of English law.^[2] The Commission made four reports.

An alternative approach, focusing on expunging obsolete laws from the statute book, followed by consolidation, was proposed by Peter Locke King MP, who was heavily critical of the expenditure of the Commission and the lack of results.^[4] This approach was taken by the Repeal of Obsolete Statutes Act 1856 (19 & 20 Vict. c. 64), considered to be the first Statute Law Revision Act.^[2]

On 17 February 1860, the Attorney General, Sir Richard Bethell told the House of Commons that he had engaged Sir Francis Reilly and A. J. Wood to expurgate the statute book of all acts which, though not expressly repealed, were not in force, working backwards from the present time.^[2]

The Statute Law Revision Bill had its first reading in the House of Lords on 6 August 1888, introduced by the Lord Chancellor, Hardinge Giffard, 1st Baron Halsbury.^[5] The bill had its second reading in the House of Lords on 20 November 1888 and was committed to a [[Committee of the Whole House (United Kingdom)|committee of the whole house],^[5] which met and reported on 27 November 1888, without amendments.^[5] The bill had its third reading in the House of Lords on 4 December 1888 and passed, with amendments.^[5]

The amended bill had its first reading in the House of Commons on 8 December 1888.^[6] The bill had its second reading in the House of Commons on 14 December 1888 and was committed to a committee of the whole house,^[6] which met and reported on 17 December 1888, with amendments.^[6] The amended bill had its third reading in the House of Commons on 19 December 1888 and passed, with amendments.^[6]

The amended Bill was considered and agreed to by the House of Lords on 21 December 1888.^[5]

The bill was granted royal assent on 24 December 1888.^[5]

The schedule to the act was repealed by section 1 of, and the Schedule to, the Statute Law Revision Act 1908 (8 Edw. 7. c. 49).

The words "to the court of the county palatine of Lancaster or" in section 2 of the act were repealed by section 56(4) of, and Part II of Schedule 11 to, the Courts Act 1971.

Section 2 of the act was repealed by section 32(4) of, and Part V of Schedule 5 to, the Administration of Justice Act 1977.

The act was repealed by section 1(1) of, and Part XI of Schedule 1 to, the Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1989.

The act was retained for the Republic of Ireland by section 2(2)(a) of, and Part 4 of Schedule 1 to, the Statute Law Revision Act 2007.

Section 1 of the act repealed enactments, listed in the schedule to the act, subject to the standard Westbury Saving.^[7]

Section 2 of the act provided that if any repealed enactment had been applied to the Court of the County Palatine of Lancaster or other inferior civil courts, such enactment would be construed as if it were contained in a local and personal act specifically relating to that court, and would have effect accordingly.^[7]

• Statute Law Revision Act

• List of amendments and repeals in the Republic of Ireland from the Irish Statute Book.
• The Statute Law Revision Act (No 2) 1888 (sic.), as applicable to New Zealand, from the Parliamentary Counsel Office.

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Statute Law Revision (No. 2) Act 1888