Consolidation bill
Encyclopedia
A consolidation bill is a bill
introduced into the Parliament of the United Kingdom
with the intention of consolidating several Acts of Parliament or Statutory Instrument
s into a single Act. Such bills simplify the statute book without significantly changing the state of the law, and are subject to an expedited Parliamentary procedure
.
which, by convention, has primacy
in these matters. The Lords has the only substantive discussion on the bill, at its second reading
, before the bill is sent to a joint committee
of both Houses which may propose amendments to it. Subject to this, the Lords' third reading and all readings in the House of Commons
are usually formalities and pass without debate.
Most consolidation bills are proposed in the first instance by the Law Commission
, and it is this prior consideration that gives rise to the expedited process afforded to these bills. Every consolidation bill proposed by the Law Commission has been passed by Parliament.
Once a consolidation bill receives royal assent
it is known as a consolidation Act. An example of a consolidation Act is the Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000
, which consolidated into a single Act parts of sentencing
legislation previously spread across twelve separate Acts.
The first three categories now account for almost all consolidation bills.
Bill (proposed law)
A bill is a proposed law under consideration by a legislature. A bill does not become law until it is passed by the legislature and, in most cases, approved by the executive. Once a bill has been enacted into law, it is called an act or a statute....
introduced into the Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
with the intention of consolidating several Acts of Parliament or Statutory Instrument
Statutory Instrument
A Statutory Instrument is the principal form in which delegated or secondary legislation is made in Great Britain.Statutory Instruments are governed by the Statutory Instruments Act 1946. They replaced Statutory Rules and Orders, made under the Rules Publication Act 1893, in 1948.Most delegated...
s into a single Act. Such bills simplify the statute book without significantly changing the state of the law, and are subject to an expedited Parliamentary procedure
Parliamentary procedure
Parliamentary procedure is the body of rules, ethics, and customs governing meetings and other operations of clubs, organizations, legislative bodies, and other deliberative assemblies...
.
Procedure
Consolidation bills are introduced in the House of LordsHouse of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
which, by convention, has primacy
Primacy
Primacy Effect may refer to:The tendency to form impressions of people based on the first information we receive about them. The primacy effect has most effect during repeated message when there is little or no delay between the messages....
in these matters. The Lords has the only substantive discussion on the bill, at its second reading
Reading (legislature)
A reading of a bill is a debate on the bill held before the general body of a legislature, as opposed to before a committee or other group. In the Westminster system, there are usually several readings of a bill among the stages it passes through before becoming law as an Act of Parliament...
, before the bill is sent to a joint committee
Joint committee
A Joint Committee is a term in politics that is used to refer to a committee made up of members of both chambers of a bicameral legislature. In other contexts, it refers to a committee with members from more than one organization.-Republic of Ireland:...
of both Houses which may propose amendments to it. Subject to this, the Lords' third reading and all readings in the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
are usually formalities and pass without debate.
Most consolidation bills are proposed in the first instance by the Law Commission
Law Commission
A Law Commission or Law Reform Commission is an independent body set up by a government to conduct law reform; that is, to consider the state of laws in a jurisdiction and make recommendations or proposals for legal changes or restructuring...
, and it is this prior consideration that gives rise to the expedited process afforded to these bills. Every consolidation bill proposed by the Law Commission has been passed by Parliament.
Once a consolidation bill receives royal assent
Royal Assent
The granting of royal assent refers to the method by which any constitutional monarch formally approves and promulgates an act of his or her nation's parliament, thus making it a law...
it is known as a consolidation Act. An example of a consolidation Act is the Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000
Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000
The Powers of Criminal Courts Act 2000 is a consolidation Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that brings together parts of several other Acts dealing with the sentencing treatment of offenders and defaulters...
, which consolidated into a single Act parts of sentencing
Sentence (law)
In law, a sentence forms the final explicit act of a judge-ruled process, and also the symbolic principal act connected to his function. The sentence can generally involve a decree of imprisonment, a fine and/or other punishments against a defendant convicted of a crime...
legislation previously spread across twelve separate Acts.
Categories of consolidation bills
There are five categories of bill that qualify as consolidation bills:- Bills which only re-enact existing law.
- Bills which consolidate previous laws with amendments, proposed in response to recommendations from the Law Commission.
- Bills to repealRepealA repeal is the amendment, removal or reversal of a law. This is generally done when a law is no longer effective, or it is shown that a law is having far more negative consequences than were originally envisioned....
existing legislation, again prepared by the Law Commission. - Bills to repeal various obsolete or unnecessary parts of existing legislation.
- Bills which make corrections and minor improvements to existing legislation, prepared under the Consolidation of Enactments (Procedure) Act 1949.
The first three categories now account for almost all consolidation bills.
Recent consolidation Acts
Examples of consolidation Acts include the following:- Merchant Shipping Act 1995Merchant Shipping Act 1995The Merchant Shipping Act 1995 is an Act of Parliament passed in the United Kingdom in 1995.The Merchant Shipping Act 2006 amended section 178 of the Act...
- Shipping and Trading Interests (Protection) Act 1995
- Goods Vehicles (Licensing of Operators) Act 1995
- Police Act 1996Police Act 1996The Police Act 1996 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which defined the current police areas, constituted the current police authorities and set out the relationship between the Home Secretary and the territorial police forces. It replaced the Police and Magistrates Courts Act...
- Employment Tribunals Act 1996
- Employment Rights Act 1996Employment Rights Act 1996The Employment Rights Act 1996 is a United Kingdom Act of Parliament passed by the Conservative government to codify the existing law on individual rights in UK labour law. Previous statutes, dating from the Contracts of Employment Act 1963, included the Redundancy Payments Act 1965, the...
- Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1996
- Education Act 1996
- School Inspections Act 1996
- Architects Act 1997Architects Act 1997The Architects Act 1997 is the consolidating Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for the keeping and publishing of the statutory Register of Architects by the Architects Registration Board...
- Lieutenancies Act 1997Lieutenancies Act 1997The Lieutenancies Act 1997 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom, that defines areas that Lord-Lieutenants are appointed to in Great Britain. It came into force on July 1, 1997.-Creation of modern local government:...
- Nurses, Midwives and Health Visitors Act 1997
- Justices of the Peace Act 1997
- Petroleum Act 1998
- Audit Commission Act 1998
- Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000The Powers of Criminal Courts Act 2000 is a consolidation Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that brings together parts of several other Acts dealing with the sentencing treatment of offenders and defaulters...
- European Parliamentary Elections Act 2002European Parliamentary Elections Act 2002The European Parliamentary Elections Act 2002 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.The Act divided the United Kingdom into various regions to which were allocated a number of seats. England was divided into nine regions with a total of 71 seats, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland...
- Parliamentary Costs Act 2006Parliamentary Costs Act 2006The Parliamentary Costs Act 2006 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It consolidates legislation relating to parliamentary costs.-Section 1 - Appointment of taxing officers:...
- Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006The Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. This Act repealed the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1949....
- National Health Service Act 2006National Health Service Act 2006The National Health Service Act 2006 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It sets out the structure of the National Health Service in England.If the Health and Social Care Bill 2011 passes it will be significantly altered....
- National Health Service (Wales) Act 2006National Health Service (Wales) Act 2006The National Health Service Act 2006 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It consolidates legislation relating to the National Health Service.-Section 1 - Welsh Ministers' duty to promote health service:...