Consolidation bill

A consolidation bill is a bill introduced into the Parliament of the United Kingdom with the intention of consolidating several Acts of Parliament and/or Statutory Instruments into one Act. Such bills simplify the statute book without significantly changing the state of the law,<ref name="factsheet">Parliamentary Stages of a Government Bill (PDF) pp. 7–8. House of Commons Information Office (March 2003). Retrieved on 2006-06-15.</ref><ref name="glossary">Glossary - Parliamentary Jargon Explained. United Kingdom Parliament Website. Retrieved on 2006-06-15.</ref> and are subject to an expedited Parliamentary procedure. Consolidation bills are introduced in the House of Lords which, by convention, has primacy in these matters. The Lords has the only substantive discussion on the bill, at its second reading, before the bill is sent to a joint committee of both Houses which may propose amendments to it. Subject to this, the Lords' third reading and all readings in the House of Commons are usually formalities and pass without debate.<ref name="factsheet" />

An example of a consolidation bill is the Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000,<ref>Elizabeth II (2000, c. 6). Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000. The Stationery Office Limited. ISBN 0-10-540600-7.</ref> which consolidated into a single Act parts of sentencing legislation previously spread across twelve separate Acts.<ref name="law comm">About Us. The Law Commission. Retrieved on 2006-06-15.</ref>

Most consolidation bills are proposed in the first instance by the Law Commission,<ref name="law comm" /><ref name="leeds">Statutory Law and Parliament - Legislative Procedure in the House of Commons. UK Law Online. Centre for Criminal Justice Studies, University of Leeds (October 1998). Retrieved on 2006-06-15.</ref> and it is this prior consideration that gives rise to the expedited process afforded to these bills.<ref name="leeds" /><ref>House of Lords Select Committee on the Constitution (2006-06-08). Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill - Report With Evidence (PDF), London: The Stationery Office Limited, p.32.</ref> Every consolidation bill proposed by the Law Commission has been passed by Parliament.<ref>Stuart Bridge (2003). Working For Better Law: The Role of the Law Commission. Retrieved on 2006-06-15.</ref>

[edit] Categories of consolidation bills

There are five categories of bill that qualify as consolidation bills:<ref name="so">Companion to the Standing Orders and guide to the Proceedings of the House of Lords. The Stationery Office (2005). Retrieved on 2006-06-15.</ref>

Bills which only re-enact existing law.
Bills which consolidate previous laws with amendments, proposed in response to recommendations from the Law Commission.
Bills to repeal existing legislation, again prepared by the Law Commission.
Bills to repeal various obsolete or unnecessary parts of existing legislation.
Bills which make corrections and minor improvements to existing legislation, prepared under the Consolidation of Enactments (Procedure) Act 1949.

The first three categories now account for almost all consolidation bills.<ref name="so" />