The Statue Law Revision Programme is a structured review of pre-1922 legislation. As part of the Commission's aim to maintain accessibility of the law, the programme aims to ensure Ireland's statute book is modern, accurate, and accessible to the public.
When Ireland became a Free State in 1922, it inherited thousands of laws made by the Government of the United Kingdom. Some of these laws remain in force today, even though they may no longer be relevant or applicable.
The Statute Law Revision Programme reviews pre-1922 legislation to determine which laws should be retained and which should be revoked. This ensures Ireland’s statute book is modern, accurate, and accessible to the public.
Following a series of Statute Law Revision Acts (2005, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2016) dealing with obsolete, mostly pre-Independence Public Acts and Private, and Local and Personal Acts up to 1922 and secondary legislation up to 1820, the Commission undertook to review secondary legislation from 1821 to 1922.
This review led to the Statute Law Revision Act 2025 and concerns the period 1821-1860. The Bill was first introduced in Seanad Éireann in October 2024 and signed into law by the President on July 25, 2025.
These laws are available on the electronic Irish Statute Book (eISB) online.
The Law Reform Commission, supported by the Office of the Attorney General, is responsible for the programme. Work on the remaining period 1861-1922 is nearing completion and consultation with government departments will commence in 2026.
We plan to introduce a Statute Law Revision Bill for the period 1861-1922 that will revoke obsolete secondary legislation and confirm which legislation remains in force. The Bill will include schedules detailing what is being revoked and what is being retained.
We will consult on our draft Bill through two stages.
We will consult with Government departments, bodies, and agencies to seek their views on which specific secondary legislation should be revoked or retained.
We will invite members of the public to submit views on the proposed revocations and retentions. All feedback received is considered in preparing the final Bill schedules.
We will finalise draft schedules for the next Statute Law Revision Bill and work with the Attorney General’s Office to draft the final Bill. Once complete, all retained pre-1922 legislation will be available on the eISB, providing a comprehensive online repository of all laws in force in Ireland. The next period addressed by SLRP will be secondary legislation from 1922-1950.