The emergence of a separate Welsh jurisdiction took a further step forward today with the announcement of proposed legislation to 'declutter' the country's statute book.

Announcing a consultation on the Statute Law (Repeals) (Wales) Bill Mick Antoniw MS, counsel general, said the measure would tackle the 'disorganised state of our vast and sprawling statute book'. The bill is part of a long-term programme to improve the accessibility of Welsh law, Antoniw said.  

Mick Antoniw

Antoniw: Measure would tackle 'disorganised state of vast and sprawling statute book'

A major cause of complexity is the way legislation can be amended, re-amended and re-made in inconsistent ways over time, he said. 'Sometimes those changes can result in legislative provisions which are no longer necessary. Provisions can also fall out of use or are never commenced (often because other circumstances have rendered them unnecessary).'

The proposed bill 'will remove unnecessary provisions from the Welsh statute book, to help “declutter” it and bring clarity about the extent to which those provisions are relevant to Wales. This simplification of the law helps avoid people being misled by obsolete legislation.'

In a gentle dig at the Westminster government, Antoniw noted that repeal bills used to be a regular feature in the UK parliament, 'but unfortunately, we have not seen one being taken through there for a number of years now'.

 

This article is now closed for comment.