12. Official definitions in past and future Acts. 13. Judicial definitions in past and future Acts. 14. Meaning of " rules of court."

15.

16.

borough.
guardians and union.

17. Definitions relating to elections.

18. Geographical and Colonial definitions in future Acts.

19. Meaning of "person" in future Acts.

'writing" in past and future Acts.

statutory declaration" in past and future Acts.
financial year" in future Acts.

23. Definition of Lands Clauses Acts.

24. Meaning of "Irish Valuation Acts."

"ordnance map."
service by post.

"committed for trial."

28. Meanings of "sheriff," "felony," and "misdemeanour," in future Scotch Acts. 29. Meaning of "county court " in future Irish Acts.

30.

References to the Crown.

31. Construction of statutory rules, &c.

32. Construction of provisions as to exercise of powers and duties.

33.

34.

Provisions as to offences under two or more laws.

Measurement of distances.

35. Citation of Acts.

37. Exercise of statutory powers between passing and commencement of Act. 38. Effect of repeal in future Acts.

INTERPRETATION ACT, 1889.

2293

An Act for consolidating enactments relating to the Construction of Acts
of Parliament and for further shortening the Language used in
Acts of Parliament.
[30th August 1889.]

Be it enacted by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

Re-enactment of existing Rules.

1.—(1.) In this Act and in every Act passed after the year 1850, whether before or after the commencement of this Act, unless the contrary intention appears,

(a) words importing the masculine gender shall include females; and
(b) words in the singular shall include the plural, a. d words in the
plural shall include the singular.

(2.) The same rules shall be observed in the construction of every enactment relating to an offence punishable on indictment or on summary conviction, when the enactment is contained in an Act passed in or before the year 1850.

2. (1.) In the construction of every enactment relating to an offence punishable on indictment or on summary conviction, whether contained in an Act passed before or after the commencement of this Act, the expression "person shall, unless the contrary intention appears, include a body corporate. Cp, s. 19.

(2.) Where under any Act, whether passed before or after the commencement of this Act, any forfeiture or penalty is payable to a party aggrieved, it shall be payable to a body corporate in every case where that body is the party aggrieved.

3. In every Act passed after the year 1850, whether before or after the commencement of this Act, the following expressions shall, unless the contrary intention appears, have the meanings hereby respectively assigned to them; namely,

The expression "month" shall mean calendar month:

The expression "land" shall include messuages, tenements, and hereditaments, houses, and buildings of any tenure:

The expressions "oath" and "affidavit" shall, in the case of persons for the time being allowed by law to affirm or declare instead of swearing, include affirmation and declaration, and the expression "swear" shall, in the like case, include affirm and declare.

4. In every Act passed after the year 1850 and before the commencement of this Act the expression "county" shall, unless the contrary intention appears, be construed as including a county of a city and a county of a town.

Rules as to gender and number.

Application of

penal Acts to bodies corpo

rate.

Meanings of certain words

in Acts since 1850.

Meaning of
"county" in

past Acts.

Meaning of

5. In every Act passed after the year 1866, whether before or after the commencement of this Act, the expression "parish" shall, unless the "parish." contrary intention appears, mean, as respects England and Wales, a place for which a separate poor rate is or can be made, or for which a separate overseer is or can be appointed.

46

'county

6. In this Act, and in every Act and Order of Council passed or made Meaning of after the year 1846, whether before or after the commencement of this Act, the expression "county court" shall, unless the contrary intention

court."

51 & 52 Vict. c. 43.

Meaning of "sheriff

clerk," &c., in Scotch Acts.

Sections to be substantive enactments.

Acts to be

Public Acts.

Amendment or repeal of Acts in same session.

Effect of repeal in Acts passed since 1850.

Official defini

tious in past and future

Acts.

appears, mean as respects England and Wales a court under the County Courts Act, 1888. Cp, s. 29.

7. In every Act relating to Scotland, whether passed before or after the commencement of this Act, unless the contrary intention appears The expression "sheriff clerk" shall include steward clerk;

The expressions "shire," "sheriffdom," and "county" shall include any stewartry in Scotland.

8. Every section of an Act shall have effect as a substantive enactment without introductory words.

9. Every Act passed after the year 1850, whether before or after the commencement of this Act, shall be a public Act and shall be judicially noticed as such, unless the contrary is expressly provided by the Act.

10. Any Act may be altered, amended, or repealed in the same session of Parliament.

11.

(1.) Where an Act passed after the year 1850, whether before or after the commencement of this Act, repeals a repealing enactment, it shall not be construed as reviving any enactment previously repealed, unless words are added reviving that enactment.

(2.) Where an Act passed after the year 1850, whether before or after the commencement of this Act, repeals wholly or partially any former enactment and substitutes provisions for the enactment repealed, the repealed enactment shall remain in force until the substituted provisions come into operation.

New General Rules of Construction.

12. In this Act, and in every other Act whether passed before or after the commencement of this Act, the following expressions shall, unless the contrary intention appears, have the meanings hereby respectively assigned to them, namely:

(1.) The expression "the Lord Chancellor" shall, except when used with reference to Ireland only, mean the Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain for the time being, and when used with reference to Ireland only, shall mean the Lord Chancellor of Ireland for the time being.

(2.) The expression "the Treasury" shall mean the Lord High Treasurer for the time being or the Commissioners for the time being of Her Majesty's Treasury.

(3.) The expression "Secretary of State" shall mean one of Her Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State for the time being.

(4.) The expression "the Admiralty" shall mean the Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom for the time being, or the Commissioners for the time being for executing the office of Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom.

(5.) The expression "the Privy Council" shall, except when used with reference to Ireland only, mean the Lords and others for the time being of Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, and when used with reference to Ireland only, shall mean the Privy Council of Ireland for the time being.

(6.) The expression "the Education Department" shall mean the Lords of the Committee for the time being of the Privy Council appointed for Education.

(7.) The expression "the Scotch Education Department" shall mean the Lords of the Committee for the time being of the Privy Council appointed for Education in Scotland.

(8.) The expression "the Board of Trade" shall mean the Lords of the Committee for the time being of the Privy Council appointed for the consideration of matters relating to trade and foreign plantations.

(9.) The expression "Lord Lieutenant," when used with reference to Ireland, shall mean the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland or other Chief Governors or Governor of Ireland for the time being.

INTERPRETATION ACT, 1889.

(10.) The expression "Chief Secretary," when used with reference to Ireland, shall mean the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant for the time being.

(11.) The expression "Postmaster General shall mean Her Majesty's Postmaster General for the time being.

(12.) The expression "Commissioners of Woods " or "Commissioners of Woods and Forests" shall mean the Commissioners of Her Majesty's Woods, Forests, and Land Revenues for the time being.

(13.) The expression "Commissioners of Works shall mean the Commissioners of Her Majesty's Works and Public Buildings for the time being.

(14.) The expression "Charity Commissioners" shall mean the Charity Commissioners for England and Wales for the time being.

(15.) The expression "Ecclesiastical Commissioners" shall mean the Ecclesiastical Commissioners for England for the time being.

(16.) The expression “Queen Anne's Bounty" shall mean the Governors of the Bounty of Queen Anne for the augmentation of the maintenance of the poor clergy.

(17.) The expression "National Debt Commissioners" shall mean the Commissioners for the time being for the Reduction of the National Debt., (18.) The expression "the Bank of England" shall mean, as circumstances require, the Governor and Company of the Bank of England or the bank of the Governor and Company of the Bank of England.

(19.) The expression "the Bank of Ireland" shall mean, as circumstances require, the Governor and Company of the Bank of Ireland or the bank of the Governor and Company of the Bank of Ireland.

(20.) The expression "consular officer" shall include consul-general, consul, vice-consul, consular agent, and any person for the time authorized to discharge the duties of consul-general, consul, or vice-consul.

13. In this Act and in every other Act whether passed before or after the commencement of this Act, the following expressions shall, unless the contrary intention appears, have the meanings hereby respectively assigned to them, namely:

(1.) The expression "Supreme Court," when used with reference to England or Ireland, shall mean the Supreme Court of Judicature in England or Ireland, as the case may be, or either branch thereof.

(2.) The expression "Court of Appeal," when used with reference to England or Ireland, shall mean Her Majesty's Court of Appeal in England or Ireland, as the case may be.

66

(3.) The expression High Court," when used with reference to England or Ireland, shall mean Her Majesty's High Court of Justice in England or Ireland, as the case may be.

(4.) The expression "court of assize" shall, as respects England, Wales, and Ireland, mean a court of assize, a court of oyer and terminer, and a court of gaol delivery, or any of them, and shall, as respects England and Wales, include the Central Criminal Court.

(5.) The expression "assizes," as respects England, Wales, and Ireland, shall mean the courts of assize usually held in every year, and shall include the sessions of the Central Criminal Court, but shall not include any court of assize held by virtue of any special commission, or, as respects Ireland, any court held by virtue of the powers conferred by 40 & 41 Vict. section sixty-three of the Supreme Court of Judicature Act (Ireland), 1877. c. 57. (6.) The expression "the Summary Jurisdiction Act, 1848," shall mean the Act of the session of the eleventh and twelfth years of the reign of Her present Majesty, chapter forty-three, intituled "An Act to facili"tate the performance of the duties of justices of the peace out of "sessions within England and Wales with respect to summary convictions "and orders."

(7) The expression "the Summary Jurisdiction (England) Acts" and the expression "the Summary Jurisdiction (English) Acts" shall re- 11 & 12 Vict. spectively mean the Summary Jurisdiction Act, 1818, and the Summary c. 43.