In 1861 the British Parliament passed the first of a long series of Statute Law Revision Acts. The most important action, was the nomination of Statute Law Committee by Lord Chancellor Cairns in 1868, the practical result of which was the issuing of the first edition of the Revised Statutes in eighteen volumes, bringing the revision of statute law down to 1886. The third edition of The Statutes Revised was published by HMSO in 1950. The fourth revised edition of the statutes was called Statutes in Force. The Statute Law Committee was appointed for the purpose of superintending the publication of the first revised edition of the statutes. For the purpose of citation "Statutes Revised" may be abbreviated to "Rev Stat". Section 3 of the Statute Law Revision Act 1948 now provides: Section 3 of the Statute Law Revision Act 1950 now provides: Without prejudice to any other saving contained in the Statute Law Revision Act 1950, an omission made under the authority of section 3 of that Act does not affect the construction or interpretation of any statute. Where any Act cites or refers to another Act otherwise than by its short title, the short title may, in any revised edition of the statutes printed by authority, be printed in substitution for such citation or reference. Where an Act cites another Act by year, statute, session or chapter, or a section or other portion of another Act by number or letter, the reference must, unless the contrary intention appears, be read as referring, in the case of Acts included in any revised edition of the statutes printed by authority, to that edition.
History
Section 1 of the Statute Law Revision Act 1948 formerly provided that every part of a title, preamble, or recital specified after the words "in part, namely," in connection with an Act mentioned in the First Schedule to that Act might be omitted from any revised edition of the statutes published by authority after the passing of that Act, and there might be added in the said edition such brief statement of the Acts, officers, persons, and things mentioned in the title, preamble, or recital, as might in consequence of such omission appear necessary. Sections 3 to of that Act formerly authorised the omission of: See also section 3 of the Statute Law Revision Act 1890, section 4 of the Statute Law Revision Act 1894, and section 3 of the Statute Law Revision Act 1927.
The Revised Edition of The Irish Statutes was published by authority in 1885. It was prepared by W F Cullinan. The official revised version of the primary legislation of Northern Ireland is called The Northern Ireland Statutes Revised. See section 5 of the Statute Law Revision Act 1950, the Statute Law Revision Act 1952 and section 47 of the Interpretation Act 1954.
Scotland
See sections 10 and 11 of the Interpretation and Legislative Reform Act 2010 The First Revised Edition was published in 1908. It was based on the Record Edition. The Second Revised Edition of The Acts of the Parliaments of Scotland 1424-1707 was published by authority in 1966. It was prepared by the Scottish Parliamentary Draftsmen and based on the First Edition. The text of the Acts of the Parliaments of Scotland in Statutes in Force was taken from the Second Revised Edition.
