City of Dublin Repeals Consultation
The Commission has identified some 40 Acts relating to the City of Dublin, spanning the years 1807 to 1920, and enacted by the UK Parliament during the period before Ireland was partitioned in 1922.
The statutes were designed to provide various powers to the City corporation, the local justices and other bodies which were responsible for delivering services to the public. They covered –
- Dublin Steam Packet Company: Acts 1833 to 1920
- Dublin Hospitals: Acts 1810 to 1897
- Dublin Police and Justice: Acts 1824 to 1867
- Dublin General Post Office and Record Office: Acts 1807 to 1826
- Dublin Corporation: Acts 1850 to 1900
- Dublin Carriages: Acts 1853 to 1855
The various Acts (which are now proposed for repeal) related to commercial or public functions in the 19th and early 20th centuries and facilitated, for example, the provision of improved hospitals for the poorer inhabitants of the city, and the delivery of mails (Dublin to Holyhead and Liverpool) by steam packet.
So far as the United Kingdom is concerned, none of the Acts dealt with in the repeal notes has practical utility within the UK. They all refer to matters which today fall entirely within the remit of the Republic of Ireland, and for which the UK no longer has responsibility. Many of the statutes will also be obsolete within the Republic, although not all have been repealed in that jurisdiction. The status of the Acts in Ireland will be unaffected by the present proposals.
We hope that interested parties will read and respond to our consultation paper, in particular to identify whether any of the Acts proposed for repeal hold any remaining value.
Consultation paper with proposals. The consultation closes on 21 November 2008. Please email us with your views.
A background note on repealing obsolete laws is available. Return to the Statute Law Revision page to find out about other proposals for repeal.