SLS cases Flashcards
R v Chambers
pleaded on base of a superceeded law
‘profoundly unaceptable if law is not practically accessible even to courts and litigants’
this is due to lack of codified law and little statutory consolidation
Companies Act 2006
example of consolidation
Interpretation section
specify the meanings of words and prases within an act
Sunset clause
AOP are in force until repealed or ammended unless have termination date- s.27 Terrosim act 1989
Thobrn v Sunderland City Council
re meausrements of fruit. this case set precedent that implied repeal only applies to non-constitutional statutes
Destitude
act not been enforced for long time- peopel acting in contrary
direct ammedment
substitutes new provision for old
indirect ammendment
leave original text- describe how should be changed
Commencement order
statutory instrument giving the govt power to decide on commencement of an act after has been given royal assent
‘Consolidiation; A plea’- Samuals, 2005
The consolidation process has slacked recently with only 1/3 of UK bills having been consilidated. SLC had before devolution produced 20 consolidation accts.
Uk example- Income and corporation taxes acct 1988
The legislative and Regulatory reform act 2006
Allows govt ammend exisisting legislation in order to remove vaguely expressed ‘burdens’
Article 1 s.9 US constitution
blanket provision on retrospectivity- ‘no ex post facto’ law shall be passed’
ECHR art 7
no criminal legislation to be treated retrospectivly
Local government (s) act 1973
this gives the local govt authority to make bylaws- byelaws need approval by confirrming authority- stated pre-devolution
Mulloch case
Turned on scottish education act- held the act was ultra vires as outwith the enabling act
Enabling act
sets out purpose, limits, terms of delegation
SI must meet Statory Instruments act 1946
negative resolution procedure
common and applied to routine legislation- means SI approvved unless action to anull it within 40 days
affirmitive resolution procedure
SI not in force unless affirmed by parliament
henry 8th clause
constituional reform and governeance act 2010- give ministers power to envoke provision of primary leg- give borad power to unelected
enacting formula
at start of UK statutes- say what you aare now reading is law and declares source of authority
Roe v Russel
LJ Scrutton state the obscurity of statutes and drafter mean legislation often hard to understand
Schedules
appendices at end of AOP containing detailed matter to complicated for body of text
Evolvira the cow
bizarre case- never actually worked out what happened tot he cow- that evidence never given. this case proves that the evidence has to be relevent - ask would it change outcome? must also be proven under standerd of proof
‘The vast majority of statutes never come before the courts for interpretation’
Cross, statutory interpretation, 1995- staatutory interpreation is rare.
Symantic ambiguity
word has 2 or more meanings
synantic ambiguity
meaning can be derived from sentance structure
Williams v Evans
ambiguity of ‘fixed plant or machinery’- outcome for this case based on the NATURAL MEANING OF WORDS
Obson case
the statement in legislation was unccertain so took interpretation that MOST FAVOURED DEFENCE
Pepper v Hart
Did teacher have to pay tax on reduced school fees- NO based on purposive approach
Try to get parliaments intention- go for natural meaning of words.
‘It is for the courts to construe these words and it is the courts duty indoing so to give effect to the intention of parliament using these words.’
In interpreting legislation… give effect so far as language permits to intention of legislature
Zang case
‘the court must deduce the intention of parliament- may deport form the natural meaning
Holliday
‘car without gearbox on rollerskates’- is it on the road?
J.lyons
cream filled swiss rolls- used artificial cream
Cross on interpretation
where appropriate use ordinary and gramattical meaning- apply secondry meaning if neccessary.
May read words if implied
can resort to presumptions
refrain from contradictiing existting law or eu law/conventions
Must be read in line of convention rights- scotland act section 29- scotland act
Munsell and olins
Was a farm shed ‘premisis ‘for a rent act? example of PURPOSIVE approach being used in the CJEU
R v Judge of London city court
‘if the words of an act are clear you must follow them’
suppports the literal rule
Grey v Pearson
Regards to a will.
‘the grammattical and ordinary sense of the words is to be adhered to, unless that would lead to an absurdity’
supportive of golden rule
Lord blackburn on golden rule
literal meaning to be take unless it produces ‘an inconsistenty or absurdity’- in the grey v pearson case
Heydons case (english)
very old example of the mischeif rule coming into play. look at the act in order to ‘suppress the mischief and advance the remedy’
leadbutter case
supportive of mischeif rule- regards to a moterbike used for slamon poaching- look at aim of the act- mischief.
Smith v Hughes
The prostitutes were found to be liable as were visable- this was the mischeif designed to be overcome. in this sense the miscief rule is better than the literal rule.
Fisher v bell
is it an offence if the flick knife is in the window- yes- mischeif rule again.
apply wisceif rule if is ambiguit in statute
Pickstone v Freemens
House of lords case. woman said her work was equl to males whose work was equal to higher paid males.
The House of Lords decided that the literal approach would have left the United Kingdom in breach of its Treaty obligations to give effect to an EU directive. It therefore used the purposive approach and stated that Miss Pickstone was entitled to claim on the basis of work of equal value even though there was a male employee doing the same work as her.
Lord Clyde Fitzpatrick
‘presumption is that updating general constuction is to be applied
IRC v Hindley
All acts should be read as a whole
Nosciatr a sociis
governing of a linguistic priciple that the menaing of a term is to be governed by the common features it share with other terms in a list
expressio unius, exclusio alterius
‘if you don;t say it you don’t mean it’- presumtion sometimes applied i.e. in R v Attorney general
presumptions (4)
against unclear alteration of settled law
against absurd results
against criminalising behaviour
against retrospectivity and against injustice
Sweet v Parsley
was there an offence under the 1965 Drugs Act- if others unaware . landlord completly unaware of residents smoking in his premesis.
Lord reid ‘there has been a presumption for many years that parliament does not intend to make criminals of persons in no way blameworthy’
Anderson
preambles can be used in inact terpretatioin
Interpretation 1978
governs interpretation of standard definitions i.e. brittish summer time and gendered words. In scotland- interpretation and legislative reform scotland act 2011
Salvensen and Cameron v Cotton
when legislation chalanged, usually found to be compatible- not in these cases.
statutes found to be incompatible with human rights conventions andd thus outwith competetencceed
R v Peters
Dictionaries are not to be taken as authoritive exponents of the meanings of words
Ejusdem generis
of some kind close nature
look at general description following specific descriptions
mental health act
are neices and nephews family?
In pari materia
when sttute ambiguois meaning determiined by loooking at it in the light of other statutes on the same subject matter
Duncan v Jackson
Represenation of the people act- did ‘any house, ware house, counting shed, shop or other building’ cover a structure designed to hold a gas meter? no
Monarrch airlines case
use of paliamentary debates is not allowed unless using the test set down in pepper v hart
they also supported the use of traveaux preparatoires as an aide to satatutory interpretation
pepper v hart on debates
test- cannot use hansard unless
the act leads to absurdity
act is ambiguois or obscure
the material relied on consists of staements from ministers and the satements relied on are clear