LAW REFORM COMMISSION REPORT ACCESSIBILITY OF LEGISLATION IN THE DIGITAL AGE (LRC 125-2020) (LRC X– YYYY Report Accessibility of Legislation in the Digital Age (LRC 125 – 2020) © Law Reform Commission 2020 Styne House, Upper Hatch Street, Dublin 2, D02 DY27 T. + 353 1 637 7600 E. [email protected] W. http://www.lawreform.ie ISSN 1393-3132 LAW REFORM COMMISSION OF IRELAND About the Law Reform Commission The Law Reform Commission is an independent statutory body established by the Law Reform Commission Act 1975. The Commission’s principal role is to keep the law under review and to make proposals for reform, in particular, by recommending the enactment of legislation to clarify and modernise the law. Since it was established, the Commission has published over 220 documents (Working Papers, Consultation Papers, Issues Papers and Reports) containing proposals for law reform and these are all available at www.lawreform.ie. Most of these proposals have contributed in a significant way to the development and enactment of reforming legislation. The Commission’s role is carried out primarily under a Programme of Law Reform. The Fifth Programme of Law Reform was prepared by the Commission following broad consultation and discussion. In accordance with the 1975 Act, it was approved by the Government in March 2019 and placed before both Houses of the Oireachtas. The Commission also works on specific matters referred to it by the Attorney General under the 1975 Act. The Commission’s Access to Legislation work makes legislation in its current state (as amended rather than as enacted) more easily accessible to the public in three main outputs: the Legislation Directory, Revised Acts and the Classified List of In-Force Legislation. The Legislation Directory comprises electronically searchable indexes of amendments to primary and secondary legislation and important related information. Revised Acts bring together all amendments and changes to an Act in a single text. The Commission provides online access to selected Revised Acts that were enacted before 2005 and Revised Acts are available for all Acts enacted from 2005 onwards (other than Finance Acts) that have been textually amended. The Classified List is a separate list of all Acts of the Oireachtas that remain in force organised under 36 major subject-matter headings. i LAW REFORM COMMISSION OF IRELAND Commission Members President: Ms Justice Mary Laffoy, former judge of the Supreme Court Commissioner (full-time): Raymond Byrne, Barrister-at-Law Commissioner: Donncha O’Connell, Established Professor of Law, NUI Galway Commissioner: Ms Justice Carmel Stewart, judge of the High Court Commissioner: Thomas O’Malley, Barrister-at-Law Commission Staff Law Reform Research Director of Research: Rebecca Coen, BCL, LLM (Criminal Justice) (NUI), Barrister-at-Law Deputy Director of Research: Robert Noonan, LLB (Dubl), BCL (Oxon), PhD (Dubl) Access to Legislation Manager: Alma Clissmann, BA (Mod), LLB, Dip Eur Law (Bruges), Solicitor Deputy Manager: Kate Doran, BCL, LLM (NUI), PhD (UL), Barrister-at-Law SLRP Project Manager: Fiona Carroll, BA (Mod), LLB, Solicitor iii LAW REFORM COMMISSION OF IRELAND Administration Head of Administration: Bríd Rogers Executive Officers: Ger Mooney Gavin Walsh Clerical Officer: Claire Carroll Library and Information Services Library and Information Manager: Órla Gillen, BA, MLIS Legal Researchers Hazel Bergin, LLB, LLM (Dubl) Leanne Caulfield, BCL, LLM (NUI) Eunice Collins, LLB (Dubl) Liam Dempsey, BCL (UCD), LLM (QUB) James Egleston, LLB, MA (NUI) Sandra Eaton, Dip (BIHE), BA (NUI), PDip (Kings Inns), Barrister-at-Law Rachel Gaffney, BCL, LLM (NUI) Morgane Hervé, BCL (NUI), Maîtrise (Paris II), LLM (KCL) Suzanne Scott, LLB (Ling Germ) (Dubl), LLM (NUI) Principal Legal Researchers for this Report: Owen Garvey BA, LLB (NUI), Barrister-at-Law Suzanne Scott, LLB (Ling Germ) (Dubl), LLM (NUI) Coordinating Commissioner for this Report: Commissioner Raymond Byrne iv LAW REFORM COMMISSION OF IRELAND v LAW REFORM COMMISSION OF IRELAND Acknowledgements The Commission wishes to thank the following who provided valuable assistance in the course of this project, including through written submissions and discussions. The Commission remains fully responsible for the content of this Report. Bar Council of Ireland British and Irish Association of Law Librarians (BIALL), Irish Group Company Law Review Group (CLRG) Patrick Conboy BL, Acting Senior Executive Legal Officer to the Chief Justice, Courts Service Consortium of National and University Libraries (CONUL) Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government Melissa English, Assistant Secretary General, Office of Parliamentary Legal Advisers to the Houses of the Oireachtas Michael Flahive, Assistant Secretary General, Department of Justice and Equality Finola Flanagan BL, former Director General, Office of the Attorney General and former full-time Commissioner, Law Reform Commission Mary Flynn, former intern, Law Reform Commission William Fry Solicitors Paul Gallagher SC, Attorney General Eamon Hayes, Data Manager and Business Development Manager, Propylon Ltd Volker Heydt, Lawyer, Hamburg Bar Houses of the Oireachtas Service (HOS) Professor Niamh Howlin, Associate Professor, UCD Sutherland School of Law The Hon Mr Justice Richard Humphreys, judge of the High Court Dr Brian Hunt BL, Ronan Daly Jermyn vii LAW REFORM COMMISSION OF IRELAND International Association of Legislation (IAL) Antoine MacDonncha BL, Head of Legal Unit, Department of Finance Gerry Matthews, Project Manager, Office of the Attorney General Alison Emily McIntyre, Head of Legal Services, Legal Services Regulatory Authority Kieran Mooney BL, Parliamentary Legislative Drafter, Office of Parliamentary Legal Advisers to the Houses of the Oireachtas Andrew Munro, Assistant Secretary General, Department of the Taoiseach Catherine Murphy, former Legal Information Manager, Information Provider, Wicklow Citizens Information Service Professor Katrin Nyman-Metcalf, Adjunct Professor, Tallinn Law School and Programme Director for Research and Legal Matters, Estonian E-Governance Academy Tríona Quill, Broadcasting & Media Division, Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment June Reardon, Chief Parliamentary Counsel, Office of Parliamentary Counsel to the Government, Office of the Attorney General Office of the Revenue Commissioners Stephen Rigney, Public Bills Office, Houses of the Oireachtas Service Evelyn Robinson, Office of Parliamentary Counsel to the Government, Office of the Attorney General Professor Colin Scott, Professor of EU Regulation & Governance, University College Dublin David Staunton BL Professor Helen Xanthaki, Professorial Teaching Fellow, UCL Faculty of Laws viii LAW REFORM COMMISSION OF IRELAND Table of Contents Overview and Executive Summary ........................................................................................ 1 Chapter 1 Guiding Principles of Accessible Legislation and the Better Regulation Context.....11 1. Introduction: context of better regulation ..................................................... 11 2. Guiding Principles of Accessible Legislation .................................................... 13 (a) Comprehensive ........................................................................................... 13 (b) Current ........................................................................................................ 14 (c) Immediate .................................................................................................. 14 (d) Legislative standards .................................................................................. 15 (e) Conclusions and recommendations ........................................................... 16 Chapter 2 Accessibility of Legislation in Ireland ............................................................... 19 1. Introduction .................................................................................................... 19 2. Sources of legislation in Ireland ...................................................................... 20 (a) Primary legislation ...................................................................................... 20 (b) Secondary legislation .................................................................................. 21 (c) Euro pean Union law ................................................................................... 22 3. The position when the State was founded in 1922: consolidated Acts and Revised Acts from the 19th century........................................................................... 24 (a) Consolidation projects in the 19th century ................................................ 24 (b) Statutes Revised ......................................................................................... 27 (c) Chronological Tables of and Index to the Statutes ..................................... 28 4. Developments since 1922 ............................................................................... 29 (a) Consolidations ............................................................................................ 29 (b) Revised Acts ................................................................................................ 31 (c) Current mini-codes ..................................................................................... 32 (d) Consol idation projects awaiting implementation ...................................... 35 (e) The