The Counsel General has today launched a consultation on its reform of the Welsh statute book in a bid to ‘declutter’ it by dropping legislative provisions that are ‘no longer necessary’ or have fallen out of use.
Mick Antoniw MS, Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution, launched a consultation on the Statute Law (Repeals) (Wales) Bill today, and said:
“Our programme to improve the accessibility of Welsh law seeks to tackle problems with the complexity and the disorganised state of our vast and sprawling statute book.
“One of the causes of that complexity is the way legislation can be amended, re-amended and re-made in inconsistent ways over time. 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 Counsel General aims to ‘bring clarity’ about the extent to which those provisions are relevant to Wales. This simplification of the law also aims to avoid people being misled by obsolete legislation.
Through this consultation, he is keen to understand if the proposed repeals are helpful, and whether there are any consequences of repeal that Welsh Government should be aware of. The Welsh Government also welcomes views on whether there are other provisions we should consider including in this or a future Bill, said Antoniw, who added:
“Bills such as this one 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. I anticipate a Statute Law (Repeals) Bill will feature in most Senedd terms.”
For more information, and to take part in the consultation that closes on 6 January 2023, click here.
